


Altruism versus Purity

by BigJBonk, LittleJowo



Category: OFF (Game), SAKANA (Webcomic)
Genre: Adventures, And also will probably be the shortest, Awkwardness, Crossover, DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EITHER FANDOM TO ENJOY, Dedan needs to watch his pottymouth, Diverges from plot of OFF, Especially the Sakana fandom, First chapter is rushed, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot diverges after chapter 8, Rating May Change, Takes place in OFF universe, Yuudai will be a bit OOC due to having different experiences, dark themes, it'll get better I promise, minor(?) character death, some language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2018-07-29 07:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7675201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigJBonk/pseuds/BigJBonk, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleJowo/pseuds/LittleJowo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuudai Tanaka stumbles into an unknown world, with no memory of where he came from or how he got there. He knows his name and nothing more.</p><p>Yuudai meets a number of interesting people, and encounters many monsters.</p><p>He has no known purpose, but for now, he needs to find out who he is and why he exists. Perhaps one of the natives of this new world can help him.</p><p>[ON HIATUS. Busy with college and other projects. This story will definitely be continued, but we aren't sure when we'll get back to it.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Starting Fresh

**Author's Note:**

> The idea behind this fic was created by my twin sister and I. This work has technically been planned for over a year. It starts out similar to the original game, but the plot starts to change rather early on. There's a lot to get into here! I promise, it'll get interesting...very interesting!
> 
> We hope you enjoy.

"Ugh...Ow, my head..." It wasn't just his head. Everything hurt. His limbs were sore and his back was stiff. He lay there for a while, giving the ache some time to die down. It took a while for him to get himself on his feet.

His name was Yuudai Tanaka; he knew that much. But what else? There must be more, right? He could not remember. He looked down at himself. Tall, thin, pale. He had a mess of blonde hair that reached his shoulders. He had on a simple black shirt and tan baggy pants with lots of pockets that definitely did not fit right. His shoes were brown slip-ons and he had no socks.

There was no wind, but the room Yuudai was in felt cool, almost enough to give him goosebumps. He held his arms close to himself, feeling rather underdressed in the chill.

Upon realizing he had no idea where he was, Yuudai looked around, swiveling his head from left to right. The space was seemingly endless. It could hardly be called a room. It was more like...nothing. The air was still, and the space above him reached up into infinity. There was nothing below him either, and it seemed as if he was suspended in space.

Black, black in every direction.

But, despite the slight unease the unknown brought him, Yuudai felt no fear. If there was nothing here, surely there was nothing to be afraid of.

That is, until Yuudai began to listen. There was at first a deafening silence, but it soon started to be filled with sound. Skittering and scratching, like little insects scraping along some nonexistent wall. Then there were voices, whispering nonsense straight into Yuudai's brain. He half expected these to grow louder, but they stayed at a volume that was barely audible. The quiet was nearly maddening. He preferred the silence.

In an attempt to drift away from the voices, he took a few uneasy steps. He felt nothing beneath him, but his steps echoed loudly. Each step, for just a moment, drowned out the sounds around him. So, he decided to keep moving, and not stop until he reached...something. Anything.

But the nothingness continued on and on. There was no sense of time or space. An inch could be a mile. An hour could be a second. The uncertainty of it all began to claw away at Yuudai's patience. He had no idea where he was, let alone where he was going. His torso began to growl at him, and his feet were numb. He was about ready to take a rest, if not give up.

However, just as this thought crossed his mind, Yuudai caught a glimpse of something.

He didn't care what it was, because it wasn't nothing. A flicker of something small and white and he was off like a shot, wanting to know what this thing was. For the first time, Yuudai felt as if there was something to look forward to. He had a good feeling about this.

But the white grew farther and farther away, and Yuudai began to tire. He slowed his sprint to a clumsy jog, then stopped. The voices immediately caught up to him, and he grew frustrated. But, eager to press on, he grit his teeth and kept himself moving. He moved at a slow pace; it didn't matter how fast he went, he'd get to where he was going eventually.

Then there was a light.

The illumination was completely foreign yet so enticing. Perhaps there was an exit, an end to this abyss.

With newfound energy, Yuudai ran towards the light. It's warmth seeped into him, nearly burning him. But it was pleasant.

Soon the light had completely enveloped Yuudai, blinding him with a bright whiteness. He let it soothe his body and his heart, let the feeling of bliss and freedom overcome him. It didn't take long for the warmth to ebb away, however, and Yuudai grew distressed. This couldn't be ending, it was too good. He didn't want to go back to that emptiness.

But, as his vision slowly returned, he found that he was somewhere else entirely. Before him was a long, narrow path surrounded in a sea of a translucent, silvery liquid. 

Remembering his dry throat, he walked down the path a ways and knelt down, cupping his hands together to hold the liquid. He took a cautious sip, cringing at the taste. He almost spat it out, but he forced himself to swallow. It was harsh and thick, despite its deceiving appearance. It was liquid plastic.

Yuudai stood, disgusted. Maybe he could find something better if he walked further own the path. He could go for a change of scenery anyways. As he looked on, he once again saw it. A flicker of white, gone as soon as it was spotted.

Deciding he had nothing to lose, Yuudai took his first step and followed it into the truly unknown.


	2. Damien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An adventure awaits!

Yuudai soon realized that the path wasn't quite as long as he'd first thought.

It took only a few minutes for him to reach the end of the road, and he was surprised to see a large machine, in front of which was a person. Above him was a sign that read "ELSEN" in all capital letters.

The man looked very different from Yuudai, what with his overly formal attire and his...

Wow, he had a really large head. And it was a square.

The man seemed to just then notice Yuudai, and he jumped in his surprise. He fiddled with his tie, taking deep, shaky breaths.

What a reaction. Yuudai hadn't meant to scare him. He figured this guy must be a little jumpy. So, he decided to try not to spook him again.

He stepped up to the man with a nervous smile, and the man looked up at him shyly. Then, after taking a long, raspy breath, he made a series of sounds.

"Hhhhhhello, sir. W-w-would you like me to t-take you to Damien?"

Yuudai was surprised. So the man could speak? He'd never heard a person's voice before, and was amazed he was able to derive meaning from it. He decided to try talking himself. So, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Hey." Awesome. "Hello. Um, yeah, Damien sounds pretty good." Yuudai couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Apparently he'd retained some skills from whatever life he might have led before this one. He briefly wondered what other things his body remembered.

He also wondered about this "Damien" place. Was it just another path? Or was it something new? Either way, Yuudai was excited to find out.

"Alright, th-this way, then. Onto the t-tram." The man then turned and walked the few steps towards the machine, then inside of it. Yuudai followed with little hesitation.

Upon entering, the strange man gestured toward the seats with a shaky hand, then stepped into a secluded cabin.

Yuudai sat down, and soon enough the tram began to move. It moved quite a bit faster than expected, but Yuudai couldn't help but feel a bit more relaxed. The feeling of being rocked from side to side was oddly soothing, as was the light squeaking of metal on metal.

It didn't take long to reach the new place.

Yuudai stepped off the tram, and the strange man followed. Yuudai looked around, amazed by how different everything looked.

"W-W-Welcome to Damien. This is where the smoke m-mines are," he stammered, "Please, enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," was Yuudai's simple response. The man before him seemed shocked, and he let out a puff of dark, billowing smoke. He took a few deep breaths, then seemed to calm down.

"You are quite w-welcome. Enjoy your stay..." He then went off to stand at his new station, giving Yuudai a shy smile from where he stood.

Yuudai gave him a wave, then walked down the new path that laid before him.

[J]

It was full of green, only broken by the deep magenta sky. There were few clouds, yet the air was far from clear. There was a dark fog surrounding the area, bathing everything in damp, dreary air. Yuudai soon figured out why.

At the end of the path was another man, identical to the first. The only real difference was that this one was wearing a hard hat. He hesitated, as if trying to calm himself, then he spoke.

"W-W-Welcome to the smoke mines. M-May I know who you are?"

Yuudai wasn't sure what to say. He didn't know who he was. He had only popped into existence earlier that day, as far as he could tell. All he knew was his name. So that's what he went with.

"I'm Yuudai."

The man in front of him let out a shaky breath, seemingly alarmed by this answer. However, after a moment, he steadied his breathing and continued.

"M-M-Might you be an inspector?"

"I don't know what that is." Yuudai quirked a brow.

"Well, perhaps n-not..." The man trailed off. "Then why are you at the m-m-mines? You can't be a m-miner. You look..." he looked Yuudai up and down, then averted his gaze as he trailed off once again, "W-Why are you at the mines?"

Yuudai thought about it for a while before responding.

"I want to figure out who I am." It was harmless, wasn't it, to give an answer like that? It was true.

"Oh...That's alarming..." The man paused. "You must have been sent by the superiors."

"The su-"

"Please, sir, allow me to explain your task."

Yuudai was about to argue, but he stopped himself. What if he was an inspector after all? Even if he wasn't, maybe he could find a purpose. Even if it was only temporary.

The man cleared his creaky throat, then gave a speech. By the sound of it, he had given it many times before. He lost his usual stammer and seemed to gain a lot of confidence as he spoke.

"You're at the smoke mines of Damien, the southern part of Zone 1." Yuudai had gathered that, but let the man continue. "Here, we send workers into deep tunnels to unearth metal from the ground, freeing embedded smoke that was trapped in the depths.

"Thanks to a variety of tools, we are able to put some of it into bottles, which the Queen sends to the other zones."

So there were more places. And it had a queen! So not everybody looked like the two people Yuudai had met so far. He hoped not, anyway. That'd be boring.

"The rest of it flows free, forming the air that our lungs inhale and exhale, so we can live.

"As the first of four elements, it is a very important element to the Elsen."

So the people were referred to as Elsen. Yuudai made sure to keep that in mind.

"Without smoke, people would have nothing to breathe."

It was a simple statement, yet it somehow chilled Yuudai to the bone. He shivered. He figured that, given this new information, his job must be very important.

After a pregnant pause, the Elsen clapped his hands together, startling himself.

"So, uh, f-finally. Uh...Hhhhow do I put this?"

Yuudai let him take his time. It didn't take too much.

"Oh, y-yes, that's right. I remember now. There are spectres in the mines, very aggressive s-spectres."

"Spectres?"

"Yes, simpler folk call them, uh, g-ghosts. Yes..."

Yuudai didn't really understand, but he didn't like the sound of it.

"So what's my job then?"

"W-Well, it'd be b-best if you didn't enter the mines. It's too d-dangerous...A miner went down the annex t-tunnel, recently, and he saw a s-strange thing..."

"A spectre?" Yuudai asked.

"Yes, yes, the chief of spectres! Very a-aggressive, v-very dangerous."

"That really does sound bad," Yuudai muttered, "So what do you need me for?"

"Y-your task, shall you accept it," the Elsen took a shaky breath, "is to go down the tunnel and k-kill the spectre."

Yuudai wasn't sure what to think. It sounded bad, definitely, but was it really that dangerous? These Elsen seemed like a nervous people; they were literally scared of their own shadows. Everything probably seemed dangeous to them.

So, Yuudai decided that he would check it out. What did he have to lose, anyway?

"Sure, I'll scope it out for you."

"Great! I-Impeccable! The tunnel is just down there," he pointed to a staircase not far off. "P-Please be safe, Mr.Yuudai Inspector. And make sure to hhhhelp the other inspector down there."

There was already someone down there? It must be bad if he needed backup. Nonetheless, Yuudai wasn't about to go back on his word, or pass up an opportunity for a new adventure.

So, he thanked the Elsen before heading down to his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is still a little short, but they will get longer!
> 
> The story is similar to the actual game so far, but it will deviate within another chapter or two.
> 
> We're so sorry this is taking so long!


	3. The Chief of Spectres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuudai makes a good pal!

Down into the mines Yuudai went, coughing as he did so. The smoke was thick down here, filling his lungs and obscuring his vision. As he got used to the smog, however, his eyes stopped watering and his breathing evened out.

 

The staircase was long and wide, and Yuudai had to hold onto the wall to keep himself from stumbling down. Even with his vision cleared, it was still far too dark to see.

 

At the bottom of the stairs was a path. Yuudai couldn't tell how long it was, but he hoped it wasn't very. Still clinging to the wall, he made his way through.

 

Where were the spectres that the Elsen had mentioned? And the chief of them? Yuudai imagined the ghosts phasing through the wall he was holding onto, through himself, and through the next wall. He shuddered at the thought. Would he even be able to see them? Or touch them? He hadn't really thought this through.

 

Did he even have a weapon?

 

Yuudai quickly patted himself down. His baggy pants had lots of pokets; maybe he had something he could use.

 

Then, in one of his back pockets, he felt a lump. He hurriedly pulled it out, pleasantly surprised to find a short dagger. He could barely see it, only the light at the end of the hall reflecting on its metal surface. He briefly wondered how he never poked himself with it. 

 

Yuudai looked ahead once again. He hadn't noticed it before, but there was a faint glow a ways in front of him. Reminded suddenly of his time in the nothingness, he stuffed his weapon back into his pocket and rushed ahead.

 

Then, as soon as he'd noticed it, the light disappeared.

 

Yuudai felt a sudden sense of impending doom.

 

Afraid, Yuudai slowed his pace. He could hear a faint whispering, but could see nothing. He put his hand back on the wall, inching his way forward. The deeper he went, the stickier the damp wall became. His fingertips were soon coated in grime, but he didn't care, so long as he had an anchor to keep his fear in check.

 

Then Yuudai was hit, and he fell to the ground with a shriek. He scrambled for his dagger, slicing into his palm in his blind fumbling. Ignoring the sting, he pulled it out and pointed it in the direction the attack had come from.

 

His breathing growing ragged, Yuudai tried to listen. Even ghosts had to make sounds. But there was nothing, no more whispers, no laughing, not even a "whoops, I'm sorry".

 

He slowly stood up, straining his ears. He slashed around a bit, hoping to at least scare off his assailant. He ended up shoving his bony elbow into something, which earned a low grunt from the darkness. Before Yuudai could close in on the spectre, it pushed him away and spoke, its voice masculine and monotonous.

 

"Are you the chief of spectres?"

 

"What? No, I'm the inspector!" Yuudai raised his knife again, asking, "Who are _you?_ "

 

There was a long silence before he got a response.

 

"I am the Batter." Then there was a bright flash. It soon died down to a faint glimmer. After Yuudai's eyes had time to adjust, he saw that the light came from a large ring, which was probably big enough to go around the waists of three Yuudais.

 

Next to the ring was a man. Not an Elsen, however; he held a closer resemblance to Yuudai himself. His skin was pale, and he wore a traditional baseball uniform. He had a black cap that covered his eyes. In his left hand was a bat, raised up in what seemed to be a defensive stance.

 

"The Batter?" Yuudai wondered, "Are you a spectre?"

 

"No," the mysterious man replied, "I am here to purify this zone. I bring the spectres to light."

 

"So you're good, then?" Yuudai lowered his weapon slightly, the movement mirrored by the man's bat.

 

"I am pure."

 

After looking the Batter up and down, Yuudai decided to trust him. This must have been the other inspector the Elsen had mentioned before.

 

"I'm Yuudai." The Batter did not move, supposedly sizing him up. He then nodded, putting away his bat and turning towards the stairway.

 

"You do not seem to have impure intentions. I will leave you be." However, he did not leave. Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a thin piece of paper. "Hold out your hand."

 

Suddenly remembering his injury, he switched his dagger to his other hand, then warily held out his open palm.

 

The Batter slapped the paper into Yuudai's hand, causing the injured man to hiss, then closed Yuudai's fingers over it.

 

Then the man left, taking the light with him.

 

Yuudai stood there for a while, trying to process his situation. He opened his hand to look at the paper, only to find the wound underneath it to be gone. He pulled the bloodied paper off of his hand, letting it drop to the floor. He was amazed by the possibly magical properties the paper possessed, but didn't fancy the idea of reusing it while it was bloody. He promised himself that he would thank the man if he saw him again.

 

Then he thought about his task. The Batter must have killed the chief of spectres already, if he had been on his way out. Yuudai figured it must be safe to leave then.

 

So, he pocketed his weapon and made his way up the stairs. It took a bit more time and effort than it did going down, but he made it up without much of a struggle.

 

Yuudai was almost blinded by the brightness of the outside world after being in the dark for so long. He rubbed his eyes, but then wiped his hand on his pants after remembering the muck that had stuck to it from earlier.

 

He saw the Batter finishing up a conversation with the Elsen Yuudai had spoken to earlier before moving on elsewhere.

 

Yuudai thought it would be best to talk to the Elsen, too. So, he made his way over at a light jog, wanting to hear if he had further instructions.

 

Upon noticing him, the Elsen jumped before speaking.

 

"Yes, yes, Mr.Batter hhhhas already told m-me the situation. As stated in p-p-paragraph five, this is a special case." Yuudai nodded in vague understanding. He didn't get what was so special about this case, but it must be if two inspectors had been needed.

 

"What do you need me to do?" He asked.

 

"W-W-Well, since the chief of spectres hhhhasn't been found, uh, you are t-to follow Mr.Batter to the main mines," he pointed in the direction of where the Batter had gone, off to the right.

 

Yuudai was alarmed upon hearing that the spectre hadn't been found, but nodded anyway.

 

"Alright, I get it." Sort of.

 

"Splendid! Yes, wonderful. Now, go on, M-Mr.Yuudai."

 

With a small wave Yuudai followed in the Batter's footsteps. He decided to try to stay close; the Batter seemed like he would be much more experienced in the killing of spectres. He soon caught up to the man, who pointedly ignored him. Yuudai didn't care, so long as they got the job done.

 

[J]

 

The stairway was much longer than the one leading to the annex tunnel, but it was significantly brighter. Dim lanterns lit the way, making it so Yuudai's eyes barely had to adjust themselves at all.

 

The Batter remained silent, and if Yuudai didn't know better, he'd think that maybe the man didn't even know he was there. Maybe he was just quiet. Yuudai was okay with that.

 

So, they made their way down in relative silence.

 

There was an Elsen waiting at the bottom of the stairs. This one was completely identical to the other mine Elsen, down to his hard hat and tie.

 

"O-Oh, you must be the inspectors. Swell." He gestured to the path behind him. "The mines are that w-way. Beware the sp-spectres, please."

 

The Batter moved on without a word, but Yuudai said a quiet "thank you" in their passing.

 

The hallway was long with very few turns, but it didn't take long to get through. The Batter kept up a brisk pace, and Yuudai had to sometimes go at a jog to avoid being left behind.

 

Soon enough they entered a spacious room, and the Batter stopped. Yuudai almost bumped right into him. The Batter pulled out his bat and looked around. He gave off an air of danger and defiance.

 

"Show yourselves, corrupted children!" He shouted, "I'm the voice of forgiveness that'll eliminate your calamitous forms!"

 

Yuudai stood perfectly still, eyes wide. That feeling of dread slowly began to return, and he soon figured out why.

 

Mere moments after the Batter's words were spoken, they were both surrounded by eight creatures, all with slack jaws and empty eyes. They quickly closed in, and Yuudai barely managed to unsheath his weapon before the monsters were upon them.

 

"Stay behind me," the Batter commanded, bringing his bat up in an offensive stance. Yuudai readily complied, going back to back with the other inspector.

 

The spectres around them laughed and screeched, flitting about, looking for an opening.

 

Yuudai prayed that they would never find one. He gripped his knife tighter, waiting for his first opponent to swallow him whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 3! We can't believe we updated so quickly! We hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are looking forward for the next one!


	4. Within the Mines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit of a filler, but it's also kinda not...You'll see.

Yuudai looked from one enemy to another, trying his best to look small so as to avoid becoming a target. He kept his grip tight on his dagger, feeling that he should definitely be prepared to use it. His life may be on the line.

 

The Batter, on the other hand, looked almost relaxed. Although attentive and ready, he seemed like he felt no fear. His bat was raised, yet his body language screamed passivity. Yuudai looked back ahead, not wanting to be distracted.

 

Just then, the first phantom lunged at Yuudai,  opening its mouth much wider than what looked comfortable or even possible. Yuudai flung his arm out wildly, hoping to slice its jaw apart, or at least drive it away.

 

However, the knife phased right through the creature.

 

The ghost, unimpeded, ended up smashing right into Yuudai, wrapping its mouth around his shoulder. It had no fangs, fortunately, but the pressure alone was enough to make Yuudai yell out.

 

The pain didn't last long, as the Batter gave a mighty swing of his bat, knocking the spectre away. He put himself between Yuudai and the monster, then gave one more swing. The spectre was purified in a puff of white mist.

 

The other seven spectres lunged at once, and even the Batter couldn't get to them all. He called out a word, "Alpha", and suddenly the bright ring from before solidified from nothing, spinning rapidly towards the ghosts. Paired with the Batter, it was able to slice through and purify three of the remaining spectres. The other four, however, made direct contact on the ring and the inspectors.

 

Yuudai fell to the ground. He was starting to panic. He was useless to fight against these monsters, and had no way to defend himself. He had to rely on Alpha and the Batter, an he did _not_ like the idea of that. However, there was not much else he could do. Despite its lack of usefulness, he held tightly onto his weapon.

 

The Batter was a bit bruised, much like Yuudai, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. He swung his bat again and again, only occasionally missing his mark. Soon enough another spectre was gone, and then another, and then another.

 

Then there was only one.

 

It hesitated then, looking between the Batter and Alpha, who were slowly but purposefully closing in. It started to back away carefully, until its back hit the wall. Then it kept going.

 

"Oh, no you don't," the Batter muttered, advancing on the creature. He raised his weapon as he got closer, and once he was within range he gave one last swing.

 

By then the spectre was halfway into the wall, but it was still far enough out that the bat made contact. A sickly pale ooze dripped from where it had tried to phase through the wall, but soon even that evaporated into steam.

 

Still on the ground, Yuudai watched in awe as the Batter sheathed his weapon, still looking eerily calm, and pulled out some paper. He slapped one of them onto Alpha, who spun around a bit before shrinking itself around the Batter's arm. The man pulled his sleeve down, covering the ring. He then put some of the papers onto himself.

 

Then, seeming to forget that Yuudai was there, he moved on.

 

Still very sore, Yuudai scrambled to his feet and ran after the Batter.

 

"Hey, how did you do that?" He asked.

 

"Do what?" The Batter responded withought even a hint of curiosity.

 

"Kill those ghosts! With your bat!"

 

"I hit them."

 

"Yeah, but my dagger didn't even scratch them! It just went through!"

 

The Batter paused, then lifted his hat slighty and looked Yuudai in the eye with a coldly neutral stare.

 

"Then you must not be pure." Yuudai didn't really understand. Seeming to realize this, the Batter tried to elaborate. "The spectres cannot go through things or people who are pure. So, to me, they are just as solid as I am." He turned on his heel and kept moving.

 

Yuudai still didn't really get it. Did that mean he wasn't "pure?" The spectres were able to touch him, though, so did that mean he was? He was pretty confused, but he wouldn't question it for now.

 

Instead he tried to catch up to the Batter again. He wanted to stay close, just in case there were more ghosts and ghouls around. He tried to get his mind off of the traumatic experience he just went though.

 

"And what about those papers? What are those?"

 

"Luck tickets."

 

"They heal you?" Yuudai was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he wanted to make sure.

 

"Yes."

 

"Where did you get them?" He didn't want to bum them off the other man every time they encountered something dangerous, as he was sure it would happen a lot in the near future.

 

"They appear in your inventory whenever a spectre is defeated." The Batter was actually starting to sound annoyed.

 

"My inventory?"

 

"Check your pockets."

 

Yuudai hadn't beaten any spectres, so he didn't expect to have anything, but he decided to humor the other man. He patted himself down and, sure enough, he had two luck tickets. He stared at them with a slack jaw, surprised that they had magically materialized in his pocket.

 

He looked up to see the Batter rather far ahead, so he put one of the luck tickets onto his bruised shoulder, under the shirt, and hurried after him.

 

Yuudai tried to start up some conversation, asking questions and such, but gave up when the Batter ignored him. So, they walked in tense silence.

 

[J]

 

The mines were a confusing, smelly maze of tunnels and hallways that left Yuudai almost gasping for breath. Even the Batter seemed mildly winded from all the walking.

 

Every once in a while a spectre or two would appear, but never as many as in that first encounter. Yuudai had begun to feel almost at ease around them. He would let Alpha and the Batter handle them, and if he happened to get hurt, he would get luck tickets.

 

Because of this, he soon figured out that his pockets could hold a lot more than they looked like they could. He soon had over twenty luck tickets in one pocket, and even more credits in another. The Batter explained that credits were this world's currency,  and had given Yuudai an odd look when he was asked about them. He also found a small card with some kind of zodiac symbol on it, but he had a feeling it was useless now.

 

Every once in a while, at the end of a dead-end hallway, there would be a box or chest with some supplies in it. It was usually a luck ticket or two, but sometimes they would find a joker. Even the Batter didn't know what those did.

 

Sometimes they would even find a lost Elsen who was hiding from the spectres. They would usually, upon realizing they've been seen, pretend they were working or being otherwise productive. They would refuse to leave their posts. Yuudai was always reluctant to leave them behind.

 

At some point, they reached a door. Yuudai was all too happy to rush ahead to open it, and the Batter allowed him to do so. However, the door wouldn't open. It was locked. Yuudai groaned in frustration, wiggling the handle. He kept trying to open the door, even gripping the handle with both hands and pushing with his feet.

 

Behind him, the Batter stood still and watched for a while, mildly annoyed. He eventually turned his head one way and the other, looking for clues. Pretty soon he found what he was looking for, and Yuudai found himself flung forward from his own momentum, planting his face on the ground within.

 

He turned his head to look to the Batter for an explanation, just in time to see the man pulling his hand away from a switch hidden beneath an unlit lantern.

 

Yuudai shook his head, then pushed himself up and dusted off his pants. He looked around the room to see three Elsen staring him down, their eyes wide and mouths agape.

 

The Batter then came in to join Yuudai, pausing when he too saw the inhabitants within.

 

The staring went on for a while, until all three Elsen rushed forward to push the two inspectors away.

 

"Get out!"

 

"You'll let the spectres in!"

 

"Close the door!"

 

"Leave!"

 

"Go away!"

 

"It's too dangerous!"

 

They pushed and shoved, doing whatever they could to get Yuudai and the Batter out the door and away from themselves. Exhaled smoke filled the room, burning Yuudai's nostrils.

 

"Lock it behind you!"

 

"Just go!"

 

"Get _OUT_!"

 

With one last forceful shove, the inspectors were pushed out of the room. They stood there, dumbfounded, as the door was slammed shut and locked behind them. They stayed put for a while until the Batter decided it would be best for them to find a different route.

 

[J]

 

The maze only got more confusing as they went on. They would still come across spectres, although it was happening less and less the deeper they went.

 

The chests now sometimes held meat in them. Yuudai was repulsed the first few times he opened a box to find that. He instantly held a strong distrust for the brownish-red subtance, feeling as if it had wronged him somehow. Batter explained to him that it was food, and that he needed to put it into his mouth to survive. Yuudai decided to hold that off for as long as he could, despite the growl in his stomach.

 

After what felt like days of nonstop walking and fighting, the two made it to the end of the tunnel. There was a ladder, and they gratefully climbed it until they reached the surface. Yuudai was relieved to be out of the mines. However, as he looked to the Batter, he saw that the other inspector had a somewhat dismayed look on his face.

 

"Batter?" He asked, "What's the matter?" The Batter turned to look down to Yuudai's face before replying.

 

"The chief of spectres. It wasn't down there."

 

Yuudai's blood ran cold. So that would probably mean...

 

"It's up here with the Elsen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those were. Uh. Those were some rather aggressive Elsen in there.


	5. A Few More are Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dynamic duo meet a few new people, and things get more than a little confusing.

Yuudai looked around frantically in the hopes that he might see the chief of spectres out in the open. But, from what he could tell, everything was calm. None of the nearby Elsen even seemed nervous. At least, no more than usual. 

The Batter strode forward with purpose, his face expressionless save for the furrow in his brow. Yuudai hurried after him, not wanting to be left behind. 

As soon as they made it to what looked like it might have been a town square, an Elsen rushed up to greet them. When he stopped he dropped his hands to his knees, holding up a finger trying to catch his breath. 

"Hhhhhow," he gasped, "Hhhhhow did you get here? D-Did you come from the m-m-mines?" 

"Yes." The Batter answered simply. 

"B-B-But there's spectres down there...Are you s-s-spectres?" 

"No, of course not!" Yuudai snapped, impatient to get going, "We're the inspectors who are trying to get rid of them! So we should _really_ -" 

"Oh, the i-i-inspectors! Great! Wonderful." The Elsen nodded to himself. "Then maybe c-could you eradicate the b-b-barns for us?" 

"Barns?" The Batter asked, interest obviously peaked. 

"Y-Y-Yes, the barns." The Elsen took a deep breath and, like the Elsen from before, he suddenly had an air of confidence, the kind that came from repeated rehearsal. 

"You're at the metal farmsteads of Pentel, the eastern part of Zone 1." Okay, another lesson in the elements. Yuudai felt that this would be useful information. "Our work consists of cutting livestock in two and extracting the metallic boulders that were contained in the cadavers." 

Yuudai gagged, the image of splitting an animal in half making his stomach turn. He desperately hoped this wouldn't become _his_ job in the future. The thought made him feel sick. 

"All the poor quality metal is discarded, forming the ground we walk on." _Gross._ "The rest gets purified to make tools and other objects with. Some of it is also put into crates and sent to other Zones, so they have tools and soil as well, I suppose." The Elsen gave a careless shrug. "As the first of four elements, it's a very important element to the Elsen. Without metal, people would have nothing to walk on. They would sink and drown." 

Yuudai briefly wondered what it was with Elsen and their creepy conclusions in their elemental lessons. 

"Anyway," he said, slightly unnerved, "We really should go and 'purify' the barns," Yuudai said quickly, the Batter nodding in silent agreement. 

"Y-Yes, the barns are r-r-right over there," the Elsen pointed to a few large buildings up Northeast a ways. The Batter made his way over without a word. As they passed, Yuudai thanked the Elsen, who simply gawked and nodded in response. It made the blonde wonder if people were usually impolite here, what with how they react to a simple "thank you". 

The inspector duo strode on with purpose. The chief of spectres had to be here. It had to be. 

[J] 

The barns were very quiet. The only sounds to be heard were the snuffling and calling of the mammals that resided within. Hay littered the floor, crunching beneath the inspectors' careful steps. 

The buildings were all rather large, much more so than Yuudai had anticipated. The spectres could be anywhere. He only hoped that they would stay in the shadows, keeping out of the sunlight that filled the barns. 

The two men walked for a time, looking around as they went. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. The cows—also much larger than expected—didn't seem fearful in the least. In fact, if anything, they looked fully content to be where they were. They simply watched the inspectors, chewing lazily on their hay. 

Upon checking another stable, the Batter immediately whipped out his bat and barged in. After a moment, Yuudai heard the telltale hiss of a dissipating ghost, and he let out a sigh. It seemed like he was still just an onlooker. He wished he could be of more help. But, as long as the job got done, he couldn't find it in himself to care too much. 

The Batter marched out, looking much more determined. Alpha floated about behind him, spinning and sending a light spray of mist as it did. 

"It seems as if the Elsen had not lied," the Batter thought aloud, "There truly are spectres here in need of purification." Yuudai simply nodded in agreement. 

The two searched the other rooms and stables. They found a number of large, giggling spectres, yet still no chief. None of these ghosts seemed big or strong enough to be the leader, anyway. 

After purifying all the barns, the inspectors made to take their leave. Close to the exit, however, the Batter stopped in his tracks. Yuudai nearly bumped into him, and let out an indignant sound. 

"Hey, what gives?" He asked, "why did you sto-" 

The Batter hurriedly put a hand over the blonde's mouth, then walked him over to the wall next to the door. They both had their backs to it, the Batter slowly dropping his hand as they listened to whatever he'd heard. 

Yuudai honestly couldn't hear much. He heard what sounded like a serious conversation coming from outside, but he couldn't tell what was actually being said. His partner, on the other hand, was listening intently. Judging by the slightly uncharacteristic furrow in his brow, he must have been hearing something bad. 

After a few long minutes, the Batter cautiously peeked around the corner, then signaled for Yuudai to follow. They left the building, looking around to see what the commotion had been. Neither person could see anything strange, so the Batter approached the single Elsen mumbling nervously to himself. 

"Who was that person?" The Batter asked the Elsen, startling him. 

"Oh, y-y-you're alive?" He looked up to the taller man in awe, his little eyes gone wide. "W-W-What of the s-spectres?" 

"They have all been eradicated. The barns are pure." 

"Great! Th-that's wonderful..." The Elsen trailed off, smiling to himself. 

"Who were you speaking to earlier?" The Batter pressed. 

"Oh! Y-Yes. That was D-D-Dedan. He's the Queen's supervisor." He didn't seem all too happy to be having this conversation. 

"He must be a spectre," the Batter muttered under his breath, causing both the Elsen as well as Yuudai to jolt in surprise. 

"N-N-No! He can't be!" 

"But he is hostile. I shall destroy him." 

"B-But you can't!" the Elsen wailed, dark, thick smoke pouring out of his mouth and nostrils, "Hhhhhhhe's an envoy o-of the Queen!" 

Yuudai quickly grew wary of the man standing beside him. While his demeanor had not outwardly changed, he gave off this _feeling,_ the kind of feeling you might get while watching a monster unhinge its jaw, about to swallow you whole. The whole thing made him nervous, and he wondered what the other inspector must be thinking. Yuudai stayed quiet, definitely not wanting to get on the other's bad side. 

"W-W-Why don't you go back to your work in the m-m-mines?" the Elsen suggested, "There's s-still much to be done!" When the Batter remained silent, glare smoldering, he quickly continued, "Besides, D-D-Dedan is all the w-way in Alma! Y-Y-You'll never be able to g-get to him." 

Yuudai held his breath as he waited for the taller inspector to say something. All men were silent for a long while, save for the Elsen's heavy, labored breaths. After what felt like hours, the Batter let out an annoyed grunt, but he said, "Fine." 

The other two sighed in relief, happy that nothing had really gone south. The Batter, obviously frustrated, turned back towards the mines. Yuudai wondered what about Dedan held so much of the Batter's attention, yet still he followed, giving the Elsen an apologetic wave that was not returned. 

[J] 

In almost no time at all, Yuudai and the Batter found themselves back in the smoke mines. While unhappy to be back underground, Yuudai was glad to not have to kill Dedan. While supposedly very rude, it was doubtful that he could be a spectre. If he was, the Elsen would likely be dead. 

The inspector duo searched on, both intent to finally find the chief. After only a few minutes, however, Yuudai took notice of something odd. 

"Hey Batter," he called out, stopping suddenly, "Come check this out." 

The Batter moved to where Yuudai stood, a brow quirking up in vague surprise as he saw what Yuudai had pointed out. Before them was a path, one that hadn't been there before. It had previously been blocked off, too much wood and rock in the way to be able to pass through. It was now clear, supposedly by a determined group of Elsen. 

The Batter gave Yuudai a curt, appreciative nod, then moved forward. Yuudai was quick to follow. 

The path was very well-lit, surprisingly so. Lanterns filled the hallway, making it seem clear as day. It was refreshing, and gave Yuudai a good feeling. 

Since it was so much easier to see, they had very little trouble making their way around. With the occasional mark of Yuudai's dagger in the wall to help them, it was easy to figure out where they'd been and where they hadn't. The light also seemed to aid them in battle. They encountered fewer spectres, and those they did fight did not battle as aggressively as before. It was almost as if they were tired. Most of the time they were content to just float around and avoid the two as they kept to the shadows. 

After a time, the inspectors had made their way into a dead-end. They turned to go back, only to have the entire room go dark with the blow of a cold breeze. Yuudai's breath hitched, and he slowly pulled out his dagger, despite its probable uselessness. He couldn't see a thing, and that was incredibly unnerving. 

But the Batter, bless his strategic prowess, called out to Alpha. The ring flew out from Batter's sleeve, growing larger and releasing a steady glow. It wasn't much, but it was enough to slow Yuudai's beating heart a tad. 

The blonde moved closer to the wall, feeling for it with his free hand. He bumped into it, but it wasn't just the wall. He felt something else jabbing into his spine, something hard and cold. He called out to the Batter, asking for the light to come closer. Alpha obliged, Batter keeping watch. 

The thing on the wall glinted in the low light, and Yuudai was a little confused by what he saw. 

"Hey Batter, do you know what this switch does?" Upon hearing his name, the mentioned man took a look at the switch on the wall. 

"No." he said as he pulled it down to OFF, Yuudai squawking in surprise. A click could be heard, but not much else seemed to happen. When there was no explosion, no spectres, no trap, both men decided to leave the room. 

It was still pitch black when they left, but with Alpha they could see a few feet in any given direction. The spectres came for them more often now, but they weren't much of a fight for the Batter. 

For hours the small group searched the mines, still not catching sight of any chief. It would have been a relief, if not for the knowledge that it would have to be elsewhere, maybe even somewhere more dangerous to the Elsen. 

Yuudai was about to suggest they try somewhere other than the mines when, up ahead, he spotted some light. Without warning he ran ahead, leaving his partner to jog in order to catch up. When he saw what was in the brightened room, however, he stopped short. The Batter paused, too, and even he looked confused. 

What stood before them—or perhaps _who—_ was a strange, stout little man. His arms were thick, leading to hands large enough to easily hold at least five baseball bats each. His black hair was unkempt, sticking up every which way. He was dressed very oddly, wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a tiny black heart on his chest. On his back was a blue backpack more than twice his size, filled to the point of overflowing. What really put Yuudai off, though, was his face. 

The man's face couldn't be seen at all, for he wore a rather creepy mask resembling a frog or toad. All that could be seen were his ears, which were round and small, just like the rest of him. 

Seeming to just then notice them, the man let out a joyous bout of laughter. He held one hand to his chest and gave a bow, causing some of his backpack's contents to fall in front of his feet. 

"Hello, dear Batter! Would you like to buy some...Hmm?" He looked back up to Yuudai, standing again to his full height and tilting his head. Then he laughed again, this time a little less cheerfully. 

"My my, the characters are just piling up, aren't they?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to our wonderful readers!
> 
> We're sorry to say that we are still on hiatus, and it will probably go on much longer than expected. We were finally able to get a new chapter typed out, though, so we thought it might tide you over.
> 
> Yes, the plot is still very much OFF-like. This will change, don't worry. Soon enough the true plot will come to light...Some of it, anyway.
> 
> We're sorry for the wait, but hopefully this hiatus can end soon! We look forward to your thoughts and comments! Thank you for sticking with us so far!


	6. Of Felines and Toads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The characters pile up a little more, as the frog boy said. Is that a cat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little dialogue-heavy, but it was a lot of fun to write!

Both Yuudai and the Batter looked to the person in front of them, not at all sure of who he was. The masked man obviously knew of the Batter, but Yuudai's presence seemed to trouble him for some unknown reason. 

He was so strange. He looked very different from the Elsen, as well as from the inspectors. He was shrouded in mystery, and even though Yuudai didn't know whether he could be trusted, he found himself intrigued by the other. 

"Who are you, exactly?" The Batter asked the portly man with a slight frown. 

"Haha, my name is Zacharie!" Came the reply, "I suppose you could say I'm the merchant of this game." 

"What game?" It was Yuudai's turn to ask the questions. 

" _This_ game, of course." Zacharie waved a hand dismissively. "But you don't need the details. I buy and I sell, and that really is all there is to it!" 

Yuudai was thoroughly confused. He was left wondering if this whole "chief of spectres" deal was actually some sort of activity. That would be embarrassing, if that were the case. 

"So," Zacharie clapped his large hands together, "How about you show me the color of your credits?" 

The Batter immediately took out some of his money, no questions asked. All he said was that he wanted a new weapon and some armor. The other man flipped his backpack over the front of his shoulder witch a chuckle, opening it and reaching inside. 

"Would you like this bat?" He held it up for inspection, admiring the shimmer of the black paint. The only thing that seemed to make it special, to Yuudai at least, was that it seemed to be autographed by a "Harold Baines". The Batter, on the other hand, was practically drooling over it. He reached out to hold it, only to have it snatched out of his reach. 

"Ah-ah-ah, that'll be 40 credits." 

The Batter forked over the cash without issue, holding one hand out expectantly. Zacharie seemed to find amusement in the stoic man's uncharacteristic actions, and he handed the bat over with a flourish. 

The Batter then requested that the merchant buy his other bat. Yuudai spoke up to ask if he could use it instead, as his dagger was useless against the spectres, but he went completely ignored as the exchange was made. 

The two men exchanged a few more things, some of which was clothing—Yuudai respectfully looked away as the Batter changed his uniform—others of which were blobs of color with purposes unknown to the blonde. He waited patiently for them to finish, then decided to spend some of his own credits. 

He bought himself some healing items, despite the fact that he had plenty; one couldn't be too careful. He then asked to buy some new clothes as well, but was refused. 

"I'm sorry, _mi amigo,_ but only the Batter here can buy that." 

"What? Why?" 

"I only have stock in his size." Zacharie shrugged nonchalantly. 

"Is there a way we could _get_ something in my size?" 

"I could make some for you," he lightly tapped his chin with one finger, "But it would cost you extra, and could take a while to make. If you'd be willing to pay an extra 25 credits, I could have it done tomorrow." 

Yuudai declined with a sigh; he didn't want the merchant to go to the trouble just so he could have something new. Instead he asked if he could purchase a weapon of his own. He was shocked when the other once again shook his head. 

"Come on, don't you have any more bats?" 

"I do, but..." Zacharie opened his backpack all the way, revealing everything held within. There were at least three bats inside all the clutter. "Only the Batter can buy bats. I'm afraid I have no weapons for you." He shrugged once again. "That's just the way the game is played. Sorry, friend. I have no wares to suit your specific needs." 

Yuudai was beyond frustrated, but didn't argue. It wasn't Zacharie's fault for not having things he could use—whatever that meant. 

He thanked the masked merchant, despite how unsatisfied he felt with his purchases. The other only waved farewell in response. 

Yuudai turned to where the Batter stood, surprised to find that he had waited for him to finish. He'd honestly expected that the inspector would leave him behind, as he usually does. Instead he stayed where he leaned against a nearby wall, only pushing off when he was sure the blonde was done. He moved past Zacharie to the door. 

"By the way," Zacharie asked Yuudai in passing, "How did you manage to open this door?" 

Yuudai was more than slightly confused. He'd assumed this door had always been open, as he sure didn't remember touching it. 

Upon seeing his confusion, Zacharie shrugged. "You must have found the switch somehow. Unless the Batter did it..." The mentioned man turned as he heard his name. 

"No. This one found the switch. I merely pulled it after he pointed it out." 

"I see." Zacharie seemed to analyze Yuudai then, looking him up and down appraisingly. If he found what he was looking for, he didn't say so. Instead he just turned away with an "Oh well!" and left the inspectors to their business. 

Yuudai was still rather confused, as well as now slightly uncomfortable, but decided that the merchant was just a strange little man who probably hadn't met many people who weren't the generic Elsen. He followed the Batter through the door ahead, wondering what could possibly be inside. 

Immediately upon entering, the two men found themselves face-to-face with yet another of the aforementioned Elsen. He startled when he noticed them, gasping for breath. 

"W-W-What? Hhhhhhhow—Where did you c-c-come from?" He stammered, mouth agape and eyes wide. 

"We came through the mines," the Batter answered. 

"B-But...How? That can't...Th-That's impossible, it's too dark, too d-d-dark!" 

Yuudai was quickly growing tired of Elsen in general; not that he himself was overly confident, what with him losing his memory, but the amount of nervousness the Elsen expressed was over the top. It was getting exhausting just talking to them. Perhaps he was still a little sour over the whole deal with Zacharie. 

"We found a way," he said hurriedly, only wanting to continue on his adventure. 

"Faith guides our steps," the Batter elaborated, causing Yuudai to stifle a groan, "Now tell us: Where are we?" 

"W-W-Well..." The Elsen seemed to mentally prepare himself. Yuudai knew another speech was coming, and this time he couldn't help the loud noise of disappointment that left him. 

"You're at the plastic administrations of Shachihata, the northern part of Zone 1. Our work consists of filling in forms. Afterwards, we wrap them up with string and send them to the courier service." Yuudai didn't care at all about paperwork, but the Batter wanted to listen, so he sat through it. "There, they ship the packages, and in return we receive parcels full of plastic. 

"There is a lot of liquid plastic that forms lakes and oceans. There is also solid plastic, used to make various objects." Yuudai cringed when he remembered his first encounter with the substance; he wouldn't forget that taste in a hurry. Before he could continue with that train of thought, the Elsen continued to say what he was trained to. 

"As the first of four elements, it is an important element to the Elsen. Because without plastic, the world would have no boundaries. People would walk and walk without ever stopping." 

There was that chill again. This statement wasn't as creepy as those made by the previous Elsen, but somehow it was still incredibly sinister. 

Things were silent for a while, and even the Batter became subtly uncomfortable. 

"We are here to purify the mines." And thus the silence was broken. 

"Oh, r-really?" The Elsen perked up all of a sudden, and he became uncharacteristically animated. "I-I-I know where the spectres are c-c-coming from!" He blurted out with surprising volume, and the inspectors' ears felt as if they had popped from the sound. 

"Where?" The Batter's interest was obviously peaked. 

"From the p-postal service," the Elsen spoke with a much softer voice, "But I'm afraid I don't remember which f-f-floor..." 

The Batter decided to go and see if he could figure out which one, determined to fulfill his given purpose. Yuudai's mood lifted significantly; this Elsen had said something particularly useful, and he was glad to have a clear destination. He thanked the Elsen as he walked towards the elevator located at the far end of the room. 

What neither men realized was that the walls within said elevator were covered from top to bottom in thousands of tiny buttons. They filled every available space, and the inspectors were at a loss. 

They quickly found a small sign that told them where the ground floor was, as well as the roof(99,999 floors? Wow). They agreed to check the ground floor first. That way, they were more likely to meet an Elsen who knew which floor they needed to go to. That's what they hoped, anyway. 

When they arrived, neither was surprised to see that there were dozens of Elsen in the room. Papers littered the floor, and pens were thrown at the desks pushed against the walls. Very few of the inhabitants seemed to actually be working, instead only naming random numbers and causing a ruckus. 

The duo tried speaking to multiple Elsen, but none paid them any mind. They only continued to do their work. Each one muttered different numbers under their breath, repeating them over and over. 

Yuudai then had an idea: he suggested they try going to the roof. 

"It will be the same," the Batter, argued, "We won't learn anything new." 

"Maybe. Or," Yuudai, countered, "We can look over the edge. Maybe if we look down, we'll be able to see where the spectres are?" 

The Batter thought it was a ridiculous idea, but he didn't have a better one. So, to the roof they went. 

Initially, there seemed to be nothing at the top of the building. There were no Elsen running around, and all that could be heard was the wind howling around them. There were no spectres or ghouls. The space seemed to be totally empty. 

That is, until Yuudai saw something white. He didn't know what it was, but it seemed awfully familiar. 

Yuudai approached the small white thing, and he bristled when he realized it was a creature. 

The chief of spectres. 

The creature turned to the inspectors, large intelligent eyes piercing through them both as it grinned wickedly. It stood up to its full height, which was admittedly not very tall. It then let a cute little meow, and its tail flicked curiously. 

Yuudai's initial alarm dropped completely when he saw the adorable cat standing right in front of him. 

"Aw, hey little guy," Yuudai bent down to stroke the tiny animal. He couldn't remember a time he'd felt such peace. Seeing this cat made him happy. He didn't understand why, but he felt an instant affection for it. He was devastated when it snaked under his hand with a quiet hiss. 

"Please refrain from any unnecessary petting, if you would. I have some comparatively paramount business to attend to." 

Yuudai was taken aback. He had no reason to believe that a cat couldn't talk, but he was shocked nonetheless. He obeyed the cat's request, pulling his hand away dejectedly and standing tall again. 

The cat sniffed at the air, his Cheshire grin growing impossibly wider when he spotted the other man. 

"Greetings and salutations, my peripatetic luminary! How fares your excursion?" 

"It's going well. I am purifying spectres." 

"Ah, how jubilant!" He let out a happy yowl. "And who might this ill-mannered blackguard travelling with you be?" 

Yuudai huffed indignantly. "I'm—" 

"He is nobody. He is only here to help me find my path." 

" _Now_ who's ill-mannered?" Yuudai scoffed. "You know, I'd be _much_ more helpful if I had a better weapon. Say, that old bat you gave away?" 

"You heard the merchant. Only I may possess a weapon of such divine nature." 

"So I'm not 'pure' enough to hold a wooden plank of sports gear?" 

"Watch your tongue, heathen." 

"My name isn't heathen, it's Yuudai!" 

The cat watched them as they argued, his gaze drifting back and forth. While entertaining at first, it was quickly becoming tiresome to listen to their bickering. 

"Yuudai, is it?" The cat interrupted, "You may refer to me as the Judge. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." He bowed his head, the gesture as close to a curtsy as one could get when they have four legs rather than two. 

"The Judge?" Yuudai asked, "The judge of what, exactly?" 

"You may find out in due time. For now," he turned once again to the Batter, "It seems you are struggling with how to proceed. It would likely be that my counsel is a desideratum needed in order for you and your cohort to continue on your desired path." 

"That would be helpful," the Batter muttered, his mood obviously dampened by his previous conversation. 

"Please pay close attention, and open wide your ears. I will not repeat this twice." The Judge sat down to lick a paw languidly. "In one of the four rooms on the ground floor, all the employees seem to be trained to a particular set of instructions. Additionally, if there was a choice to be made, I would prefer the subdued over the clamorous." After a pause, he looked up from his careful grooming. "That is all." Then he was right back to it. 

Yuudai didn't have much of a clue what any of that meant. He understood that he meant something about the quiet and the loud, but didn't know what it could mean; everyone one the ground floor was loud. 

The Batter, on the other hand, seemed to understand perfectly. With a nod of gratitude, he turned and walked to the elevator. Yuudai looked back to the Judge so he could thank him for the advice, but the cat was already ignoring them in favor of washing his back. He paid them no more mind, and went about his own feline business. 

With that, Yuudai decided it was time to follow his partner. They descended to the ground floor, just as they had mere minutes ago. 

When the doors opened again, it was pure chaos. 

There were mounds of office supplies stacked against the walls, some of which even had Elsen struggling inside. Many were hiding under desks, shaking and whining. Along with the numbers, most of them were repeating "Rush Hour! Rush Hour!" in panicked yells of alarm. The din was much more hectic than it was before. 

The inspectors looked to each other, both thinking the same thing: _How to go about this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect to enjoy writing for the Judge as much as I did. His vocabulary is quite a bit wider than my own, so I had to teach myself a few words! I hope I did his character justice, haha.


	7. The Postal Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little darker.

Yuudai and the Batter looked on with disdain, wondering how in the world they were going to find the correct floor. The Elsen all seemed as if they had gone insane. The ruckus had been bad when they first arrived on the floor, but it had gotten considerably worse by the time they came around again.

The Batter got over his initial shock before the other man did, and he walked up to the nearest Elsen, who was busy crumpling papers into a ball. The inspector knelt down to his level, but went unnoticed. He tapped the nervous man's shoulder, which earned him a gasp and a face full of smoke.

"Civilian," he said with a cough, "On which floor are the spectres?"

All he got in response was a screeched "Form 39314, stamp 51314!"

Mildly disgruntled, the Batter moved on to the next closest Elsen. Seeing what he was doing, Yuudai split apart from his companion and did some digging around of his own.

Most of the Elsen were quite loud. Each one had a different set of numbers to yell in their faces, and all seemed hopeless. Before long, there was only one set of cubicles left. Both men moved to this one, hoping to finally get some answers. Neither expected much.

They asked each Elsen what floor the spectres were coming from. These ones were still clearly nervous, but they were much quieter than all that were spoken to previously. Despite the change, however, the inspectors seemed no closer to finding the answers they needed.

Yuudai let out an exasperated sigh; he was getting real tired of all the noise, and it was frustrating to deal with the knowledge that someone knew something and were simply being unclear.

The Batter, on the other hand, didn't seem deterred in the least. In fact, after each Elsen had been questioned, he moved right back to the elevator.

"There's no point in going back up there," Yuudai grumped, "The Judge said he told us everything he wanted us to know."

"It's not that. I know which floor the spectres are on." With a nod of his head, the Batter led the other man into the elevator. The sheer number of buttons was still rather intimidating, but the Batter seemed to know exactly which buttons to press.

During the ascent, Yuudai started to wonder how exactly the other had figured it out. He himself sure didn't know what to make of the Elsens' rambling, and honestly he saw himself as the smart one. So if he couldn't figure it out, how could the Batter? He let his curiosity be known.

"The more subdued Elsen were what gave it away," the Batter explained. "They all gave the same stamp number, so I understood that the number held some sort of significance."

Yuudai didn't think that was necessarily the case, but he wasn't about to share his doubts. After all, a possible lead was better than no clues at all.

After a few moments they reached the correct floor. An automated voice said "Floor 10258. Welcome to the postal service." The two men let out the breaths they didn't realize they were holding; they'd finally made it. It was a frustrating and tiresome endeavor, but they made it.

The first thing either of them noticed was the lack of noise. Compared to the din of the previous room, this floor was almost completely silent. Instead of cubicles and desks and Elsen, there were nothing but boxes piled on top of one another.

The two set off to work, Yuudai sticking close to the Batter. If there really were spectres here, he couldn't fight them off himself, so he stayed with the one person who could. Besides, there were lots of boxes they could be hiding in or lurking between, and he figured that there was no harm in being careful.

They walked all around the floor, which was much larger than the one at ground level. They went from one hall to the next, but saw nothing. They even looked inside the boxes to see if the chief might be in one of them. There was nothing to be seen. All was quiet.

It was rather unnerving, if Yuudai had to be honest. He was much more used to the dark of the mines, the unsettling growl of creatures on the hunt, the distant giggles that sent chills down his spine. The lack of any sign of life(or death) in the area was different, and it was somehow much more terrifying.

Eventually they came to a set of stairs. Considering the fact that they had searched the floor very thoroughly, the inspectors agreed that there was no harm in looking towards other areas. With that decision made, they moved towards the steps.

As soon as they arrived at the staircase, prepared to move up, they heard a sudden, loud stomping. They both backpedaled a bit, the Batter staying in front with his bat prepared. The sound was deafening in the otherwise silent room, and it shocked them both; they'd assumed the area was empty.

An Elsen came barreling down towards them, nearly bumping into the Batter. He barely stopped in time, and stood a mere meter in front of them both. His breath was coming out in deep rasps, smoke billowing from every orifice of his head, filling the air with its acrid stench. His eyes were sunken and wide, and his grey tongue dangled from his mouth. Saliva dripped to the ground with a _pat, pat, pat._ He looked the definition of insanity.

The Batter was obviously disturbed, and Yuudai didn't blame him one bit. They were used to Elsen being odd, but this one seemed downright animalistic. Despite this, the Batter attempted to speak to the Elsen.

"I am the Batter," he said. "Where are the phantoms?"

The Elsen only continued to gasp out with labored breaths, his shoulders slumped forward and his back hunched. He seemed to be inspecting the two men before him.

With no warning he started to twitch exaggeratedly, his arms flailing. His body started to lurch to the left then the right, his chest and head bulging as if something were inside, trying to escape. His arms started to twist, bending until they more resembled the gnarled branches of a dying tree.

Yuudai and the Batter started to back away, never having seen anything like this before. Was the Elsen possessed? Was he ill? Whatever the case, the event unfolding before their eyes was a disturbing one, and neither knew what to make of it. Yuudai slowly drew his weapon, expecting the worst.

The Elsen's breath grew more and more shallow, and his drool started to turn black. So much smoke was escaping his mouth that it nearly obscured his face. He doubled forward, clutching as his chest and throat. He cried out, even more smoke pouring out of him. Then, with a voice as raspy as a voice can be, he spoke.

"I-I...I'm very afraid." His widened impossibly further, and suddenly be bent so far back that it was a wonder his spine didn't snap in two. Or perhaps it did; one could hardly tell. His body bulged in various places around his chest and on his face, whatever was inside of him obviously keen to escape. He cried again, mouth gaping impossibly wide.

Then, everything was calm. Smoke leaked more slowly from his nose and mouth, and the crying stopped. The Elsen merely stood that way for a long moment, still bent over backwards. His arms fell to his sides, hands thudding to the ground. All was quiet aside from his shallow breathing. He slowly lifted himself up, turning his head towards the two inspectors quivering in front of him. He then let out one last cry, grey tears falling from the corners of his eyes.

"Please. Help me."

The inspectors were suddenly splattered with black tar as the Elsen's head burst apart. Smoke continued to billow thickly through where it used to be, its body shuddering violently. Before either Yuudai or the Batter could react, the Elsen dashed towards them.

The Batter was the first of the two men to move, and he yelled out Alpha's name as he swung his mighty bat. It connected with the Elsen's right arm. It fell onto the man it had attacked, arms flailing. The Batter stumbled back and fell with it. His bat rolled a few feet away, now useless.

They almost ran into Yuudai, who gathered his wits quickly enough to move to the side. As the Elsen and the Batter fell, the latter already trying to get up, Yuudai held his dagger with both hands and stabbed the Elsen in the back. Smoke escaped from the wound.

The Elsen shook and thrashed, the Batter managing to wiggle his way out from under it. He immediately moved to grab his weapon as Yuudai struggled with pulling his own out of their opponent's back. That was rather difficult when his vision was obscured by thick smoke and a constant spray of tar. He quickly pulled it out, his body lurching and losing its balance.

Alpha moved in as soon as Yuudai wasn't in the Elsen's space. Said Elsen had gotten itself into a kneeling position by then, but the glowing add-on was too fast. Alpha was spinning so quickly that the light it emitted cast unnerving shadows over the boxes as it rammed right into the Elsen.

And sliced right through its torso.

The room was suddenly filled with black, the walls and floor sprayed with a variety of substances. The inspectors were covered in grime as the Elsen split in two, smoke and tar erupting from its body.

For a few moments the Elsen still moved, its arms grasping for purchase on the flat ground. It didn't take long for it to finally go still. The smoke puffed out weakly until it stopped. Tar leaked sluggishly out of its neck and wounds. The Elsen was dead.

Yuudai and the Batter stood in shock, not knowing what to make of the situation; neither of them had ever thought that Elsen could even be ill-mannered, let alone dangerous. They hesitantly sheathed their weapons, the Batter calling Alpha back to his arm. It swirled in the air, spraying a decent amount of tar as it did, before shrinking down around the Batter's wrist and losing its glow.

The room was once again silent, both men hardly daring to breathe as they tried to sort out what had happened in their minds. Eventually, Yuudai gave a theory.

"D-Do you think that was the chief?"

"No." The Batter turned and gave Yuudai a look that was likely meant to be condescending. "The chief of spectres is a spectre. That was an Elsen."

"Then why did he do that? His head exploded!"

The Batter was silent for a moment. He tilted his head up slightly, as if the ceiling would hold the answers. Then, all of a sudden, he looked calm. Almost relieved, even.

"That Elsen was burnt."

"Burnt?"

"Yes," the Batter said, "That is what the Elsen become when they are corrupted." His face darkened, sending a shiver down Yuudai's spine, just as it had before they went into the mines. "Once burnt, they become creatures of evil. They are impure, and they need to be destroyed." He said the words with such ferocity that Yuudai was shocked; he was used to the Batter sounding much more monotonous.

As soon as the look appeared, however, it was gone, replaced once again with a neutral, impassive gaze.

"Come," the Batter motioned towards the stairs, "We must keep moving forward."

Yuudai was stricken with doubt. Were the Elsen really all like that? Were they all "corrupted" as the Batter had put it? He found it hard to believe, and it gave him a bad feeling. He was suddenly a lot less sure about his mission. He wondered who exactly the Batter was. Until he knew for sure, he decided to stick around; whether the Batter was truly good or actually evil, Yuudai felt it was his duty to protect the innocent. So, with that in mind, up the stairs they went.

[J]

The room they entered was not much different from the one they came from. Boxes were stacked against the wall and scattered around the floor. There were also a few desks. And, like the floor below, this one was silent.

The two men looked around, staying close in case there was another burnt Elsen nearby, or perhaps the chief of spectres. After a few minutes, though, it seemed as if the area was safe. They still had to be careful, though.

It didn't take long before they found something. To Yuudai it was just a piece of paper, but the Batter had apparently deemed it important. He swept it up from the desk it had been laying on and inspected it.

"How strange," he said.

"What? What about it?" Yuudai leaned over to look past his shoulder. He could tell something was written on it, but he couldn't tell what. The handwriting was pretty messy.

"First version," the Batter read, "They are six feet under, wrapped in hot metal and liquid plastic."

Yuudai was confused, and he asked what that was supposed to mean. It sounded like a weird poem. The Batter didn't answer, instead pocketing the paper and moving on. With a huff, Yuudai followed.

They walked down a number of halls, each leading to another room full of boxes. They didn't find anything of interest, not even an exit. There were spectres around, as well as some type of rodent, but none of them caused much trouble.

The Batter eventually found more paper, though, and he seemed to feel it was necessary to read it aloud. Yuudai found it a little annoying, but he listened anyway. If the Batter thought they were important, they must be. He hadn't really been wrong before.

"Second version: They are eight, and they have long beards. They watch what is happening from their high silver spheres." He folded that one and put it in his pocket as well.

As soon as he did, both inspectors could hear a crunching sound, which was followed by what sounded like a sprinkler. Their hearts sank with dread as two more burnt Elsen came from around the corner.

They knew what to expect from the Elsen this time, so they were not as hard to beat as the first one. They looked scary, and they made a mess, but they did not have any claws or weapons to speak of. They would merely thrash around, but that didn't hurt too badly. Even Yuudai was able to beat one on his own.

At the very least, at this point they knew that this floor was indeed dangerous. They had to keep their guards up.

Next to the desk where the second paper was found was a flight of stairs. Yuudai suggested they go up, as they had explored most of this floor. The Batter gave a nod, and so they ascended.

It did not take long at all for a third paper to be found, a fourth, and then eventually a fifth. It took quite a bit of searching to find the staircase that led to the latter.

"Third version: A sole big insect, whose mandibles spit meat."

"Fourth version: They are four, each one attributed to an element. They protect their respective crystals."

"Fifth version: Five, like the fingers on a hand. Their lungs produce primordial smoke."

Soon enough, they made it to the next room. Yuudai was exhausted, what with all the stairs they'd gone up and down on the way, but the Batter wasn't even winded. He kept his stride steady and strong. Yuudai pretended he didn't envy him for it.

In this new room was a door, which was blocked off by a group of floating blocks. On either side of the cluster was a desk. At one sat an unusually calm Elsen, who fortunately had not become burnt, and on the other was another slip of paper. While keeping an eye on the Elsen, they checked that out first, and once again it was read out loud by the Batter.

"Last version: There are but two, in a secret zone."

The inspectors pondered its meaning for a while, as they had with those previous. This one was shorter than those read before it, and at this point it was clear they were related, but this paper somehow seemed much more important. They silently agreed to keep it in mind.

After that was done, Yuudai and the Batter walked over to the Elsen, who sat quietly behind his desk.

"Hhhhhello," he said, "How can I hhhhelp you?"

"We must pass through," the Batter responded, "We have important business to attend."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry," stammered the Elsen, "B-B-But the secret lift is forbidden." Despite his stutter, the Elsen remained calm. It was a nervous calm, though, as if something bad would happen if he showed just how scared he was. Yuudai wondered if he was afraid of becoming burnt.

"We must pass." The Batter insisted, "We must find where the spectres have been coming from."

"Well..." The Elsen trailed off, obviously hesitant to continue what he was saying. Then he sighed, a tiny plume of smoke escaping his mouth as he did. "I-I suppose I could let you through. If you know the p-p-password, that is."

Yuudai's brain felt like it had turned to mush in an instant. Of course they didn't have the password. The Elsen knew it, too, if his small smirk was anything to go by.

"Six, eight, one, four, five, two."

Both Yuudai and the Elsen looked towards the Batter in astonishment. How did he know that? Then Yuudai realized something: the papers they'd found before weren't some ominous poem, they weren't a prophecy, and they held no big secrets. They were written in code. They hinted at the password. Yuudai was embarrassed that he hadn't thought of that when the password was requested of them.

The Elsen sputtered for a moment, his botchy confident facade broken, as he struggled to stay calm. He started to hyperventilate, and both Yuudai and the Batter knew he was going to become burnt.

However, that is not what ended up happening, to their surprise. The Elsen closed his eyes and counted to five. After a moment he let out a deep breath, his tense shoulders relaxing.

"Y-Y-Yes, that is the code," he said, "I suppose I could l-let you through." The Elsen stood on still-shaky legs and stepped towards the door that the floating blocks levitated in front of, pressing a few buttons on a keypad next to it. As soon as he did so the blocks vanished, no longer obstructing the path of the inspectors. The Elsen sat back down in his seat, gesturing with one hand towards the door. "Y-You must be quite important, yes. Please p-p-procceed."

The Batter simply nodded and made for the door, accepting the situation easily. Yuudai, on the other hand, was still a bit stunned. He was new to the idea of burnt Elsen being a thing, but he didn't think it could be preventable. It made him feel incredibly guilty. If Elsen could prevent burning, that meant that Yuudai had assisted in killing innocent people.

But then, he thought, with the exception of the first one, all of the burnt Elsen they'd encountered had already been burnt. And he didn't think heads could grow back. He rationalized that they had to be killed, or else they could bring harm to the inspectors or to other Elsen, of which the latter could become burnt themselves. He still felt rather nauseous, but he knew that there was nothing he could do for them now. And so he followed the Batter, giving the Elsen a small wave as he passed. He went ignored.

Upon going through the door, the two men quickly realized that they were inside another elevator. In front of them was a single floating yellow cube, which the Batter firmly placed his hand on top of. He gestured for Yuudai to do the same. Yuudai immediately felt better; he hadn't realized how many scrapes and bruises he had, and they were healing before his very eyes. He could have sworn he saw one of these back in the mines, but he couldn't recall for sure.

After being healed, Yuudai and the Batter took in their surroundings in more detail. Their eyes were soon laid upon a keypad, which only had two buttons on it: up and down. Without a word the Batter pressed the "up" button, and so they were lifted to the next floor.

With a _ding_ the elevator stopped. A robotic voice came to life from an intercom on the ceiling, blaring "THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE" loud enough that Yuudai's ears rang.

Just after, the doors began to open. The sight that the two inpectors were met with was absurd, to say the least.

A monstrous creature stood tall at the far end of the room, all teeth and billowing sleeves. His beady eyes glowed from within his mouth, which was stretched so far back that Yuudai could clearly see where the side of his gums met his skull. He could even see farther than that; the creature's ear canals could also be seen within his mouth. His blunt fangs gnashed as he roared at the spectres that surrounded him, spittle flying everywhere.

"Piss off!" The monster yelled, slashing his grisly claws at the phantoms. They were sliced apart like wet paper, dissipating into their usual fine mist. "This place is mine!" Another spectre was defeated. "You have no right to be here!" And another. "Phantoms of shit!"

The inspectors watched, one with feigned disinterest and the other in awe, as one by one the ghosts were reduced to nothing by this horrifying creature. In almost no time at all the spectres were gone. All that was left was this hulking monster of a man, huffing tiredly as exhaustion finally seemed to hit; with how he was going, Yuudai had figured that the monster's rage would be able to keep him going for hours.

After a moment of tense silence, the monster looked towards them and held his breath. Both parties stared at one another for a while, dragging said silence on further. Then the monster roared once again.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" He sounded merely curious, given his earlier tone, but his body language displayed pure hostility.

"I am the Batter," the inspector replied. He didn't give Yuudai a chance to introduce himself before he continued. "I have come to purge the world of these ectoplasmic beings."

"How _dare_ you respond to me?" The monster bellowed, "You'd better get out of here, and take blondie and the spectres with you!" Yuudai's indignant protest went ignored. "Leave my zone, or I'll kill the both of you!" He straightened to his full height and stepped forward, arms held neatly behind his back. He easily towered over the both of them, taller by at least a head. Then, in a voice so sickeningly sweet, he said, "I hope that is clear enough for the two of you."

Yuudai's mouth was held agape, not quite sure what to say. The Batter said nothing either, only sneering defiantly up at the creature stood in front of him.

The monster stepped back to where he was before, his back turned to the inspectors.

"If I see you again..." He trailed off with a humorless chuckle, turning his head only slightly so as to send them a glare, "If I see you again, you're dead."

With that the monster disappeared, all trace of him gone. He'd simply vanished into thin air. The office was silent.

"Who _was_ that?" Yuudai asked, "Or better yet, _what_ was that?"

The Batter turned to Yuudai. All of his usual calm persona was gone, his neutral appearance replaced by an expression of pure, unbridled rage. He seethed with an anger that would burn any Elsen on the spot.

"That," he spat venomously, "Was Dedan."

"D-Dedan?" Yuudai remembered hearing the Elsen at the barns mentioning that name. He didn't mean...

"D-Dedan? As in the ruler of this world?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, this one was a whopper!
> 
> Sorry it took so long to write, college keeps us pretty busy! Even our summer had a lot going on.
> 
> To clarify, we are aware that in OFF, the yellow cubes do not heal you. This was changed for the fic so that it would be easier to write. Since In-game the yellow cubes only let you save your game, we thought it would be better to make them the same as the red cubes, minus the ability to teleport you.
> 
> I'll bet that those of you who already knew about OFF were laughing about the code, eh? I figured that any normal person would think they were much more significant than they were, haha.
> 
> We hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are looking forward to the next! The plot will start to diverge much more in these next few chapters, so stay tuned!


	8. The Fleshy Labyrinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How confusing this cruel world is.

Yuudai was still rather confused. All of this started with him being hired as an inspector, which he agreed to because he was under the impression that it was his duty all along. He was supposed to defeat the chief of spectres, and although he knew now that it would be impossible for him to do alone, at the time he figured it'd be a quick and easy mission. Afterwards, he would have another job to do. 

Now, though, he was a bit lost. Every time someone directed he and the Batter towards the chief, it always turned out to be something else. First it was Alpha and the Batter, then eventually it was Dedan, the ruler of this zone. 

In all honesty, Yuudai was starting to think there was no chief after all. But, considering that he had no real proof of his theory, he thought it best to keep going; he was finding out more about the world, and he was helping rid the Elsen of spectres and other dangers. It was a gruesome job, one he did not enjoy in the least, but it was a job that needed to be done, and he was willing to do it. He just hoped it really was the right thing. 

Yuudai shook his head to clear his mind. He had a job to do, and he definitely wasn't doing any good getting lost in his thoughts. 

After the odd run-in with Dedan, the inspectors figured that there was nothing else to do in the office. They went back into the lift, and were given two options: Go to the previous floor, or go back to the ground floor. 

"We must return to floor 10258," the Batter stated. "There must be more spectres and burnt Elsen to purify." 

Yuudai thought that figuring out where the  _real_ chief of spectres was must be much more important, but he didn't argue. After all, the Elsen would all be much safer if there were less spectres in a building as busy as this one. Maybe less Elsen would burn in the future, too. 

And so they went back to the floor where they'd initially taken the lift. The ride was short and quiet and uncomfortable; the Batter had calmed down, but Yuudai could still feel the anger seeping from him like the cold out of an open freezer. 

The first thing they noticed when the doors opened was that the room was full of smoke. Sharp wheezing could be heard. Both men were on guard immediately, knowing that there must be burnt Elsen nearby. They drew their weapons in preparation. 

They stepped forward, ready to take on any dangers they may have to face. Judging by the amount of smoke filling the room, there must be a rather large group of burnt Elsen just around the corner. 

What they saw instead was somehow worse. 

There was a lone Elsen, curled up behind his desk in the fetal position. He rocked himself furiously as if trying to calm down. The smoke they'd seen was all coming from the Elsen who had asked for the password earlier. His eyes were bulging, and he was muttering to himself. 

The Batter stormed towards him, bat raised, only to be stopped by Yuudai. The sportsman turned to the other inspector, obviously frustrated and impatient. 

"He's burning," he said, "We must end him now before he burns." 

"Just wait a minute. I want to see if I can calm him down." The Batter seemed confused, but he must have also been curious, as he let his arm hang to the side and stepped back a ways. 

Yuudai sheathed his dagger and stepped towards the panicking Elsen. He did his best to not appear threatening, and sat a few feet away. He didn't think touching him would be a good idea, so he opted to keep his hands in his lap. He wasn't really sure what to do, but he figured being friendly was probably the way to go. 

"Hey," he said. "Are you alright?" 

The response was immediate. The Elsen nearly jumped out of his skin, and he turned his head sharply towards the inspector. More quietly, Yuudai repeated his question. 

"N-N-N-No, I-I've been...I've been...!" The Elsen shook, squeezing his eyes shut. His wheezing got worse, and he started to rock again. "I-I-I'm going to be f-f-fired! I-I let you through, a-a-and-" 

"Hey, hey, you're okay!" Yuudai tried to console the other. "I'm pretty sure you won't get fired. If you were, wouldn't you be packing up by now?" 

The Elsen didn't respond, but he wasn't getting any worse. Yuudai considered that to be progress. 

"Just calm down, okay? You're fine. You still have your job, right?" 

The Elsen slowly nodded, his breath evening out. He still shook violently, but the smoke was starting to leak slower from his mouth, and the wheezing was slowing down as well. 

"B-B-But," he rasped, "I hhhheard yelling! I-I must be in s-s-so much t-trouble!" 

"Dedan? He was yelling at the spectres in his office." 

"Sp-sp-spectres...?" 

"Yeah," Yuudai explained. "There were spectres in there, and he defeated them." 

"He also yelled at us," the Batter said. It was clear that he was going to be of no help. The Elsen held his breath for a moment, letting it out with a violent shudder. The smoke was starting to thin out, but he was still incredibly anxious. 

"N-N-No," he said. "I will lose my j-job. I did a b-b-bad thing." He stood up on wobbly legs, placing both palms on his desk. He took a few more deep breaths, finally starting to calm down. "P-Please. Take me with you." 

"What?" The inspectors asked in unison. Take an Elsen with them? Why would he want that? 

"B-But what about your job? If you leave, you'll  _definitely_ get fired. At least stay and see how things go!" 

"No," the Elsen said with surprising conviction, "I-I-I've let my employer down. Even if I-I don't get fired today, I'll just screw up a-a-again later." He walked up to Yuudai, who now decided to stand as well. "B-Besides, there's so many burnt Elsen in here," he said. "I-I-I've seen too many things. I can't keep st-st-standing here with them around. And the spectres...A-And the rats..." 

"There are more spectres where we are going. You would not be safe with us." The Batter stepped forward and said, "You are better off here, cowering behind your desk." 

The Elsen's eyes widened, whether in fear or offense was unknown. 

"B-B-But I saw you! You fight spectres! Y-Y-You can protect me!" He gripped the front of the Batter's uniform, smoke starting to leak from his mouth again. "Please! I can't stay here o-on my own!" 

"Just let him come," Yuudai reasoned. "He obviously doesn't wanna be here. If he knows the risks, then maybe he really is better off with us." 

The Batter scowled, clearly not liking the idea. He thought for a moment, but then his shoulders sagged and he let out a sigh. 

"Fine. But if he burns, we must eradicate him." The Elsen gulped as the Batter held eye contact. "And you cannot slow me down. I am on a mission of utmost importance, and any hindrance will not be tolerated." 

The Elsen nodded shakily, backing off a bit and sticking close to Yuudai. The Batter sheathed his bat and turned, stomping back towards the lift. 

"Come. I do not want to be here anymore. There are spectres elsewhere in need of purification." Yuudai was pretty sure that the other was just upset because he lost an argument. Whatever the case, the Elsen was an inspector now, at least for the time being. All three of them entered the lift and descended to the ground floor. Yuudai couldn't help but notice the look of awe that passed over their new teammate's face, or the giddy little smile he adorned. 

The three left the postal service building. Upon exiting they were presented with a path, much like the one that Yuudai travelled when he first arrived at the zone. They were surrounded by liquid plastic, and he wrinkled his nose when he remembered the taste. His throat felt incredibly dry, but it was not worth the bitter flavor of the pinkish liquid. 

They traversed the path for a while, eventually coming to a tram station. A single Elsen stood in front of the resting vehicle, and his face brightened in recognition when he saw Yuudai. 

"O-Oh! Uh, welcome! W-W-Where would you like to go?" 

"We would like to go to Alma," the Batter interrupted before Yuudai could say a word. 

"Alma?" Yuudai asked. "Where's Alma?" 

"Oh, I-It's uh, it's where the Director is." The inspector Elsen explained. "Or uh, D-Dedan." 

The tram Elsen watched the exchange with a weird look on his face, but if he found the situation strange, he didn't say so. 

"O-Okay, then, Alma it is! All a-aboard!" 

The three inspectors boarded the tram and moved on to their destination. 

[J] 

It only took a few minutes to get to Alma. The ride was quiet, only the sounds of squeaky wheels on the tracks heard by the inspectors. The Elsen of the trio looked out the window, eyes wide in wonder. Yuudai suspected that maybe he had never been anywhere besides behind that desk by the lift. 

When they arrived, the tram Elsen bid them adieu, waving with a shy smile. Yuudai waved back, and the Elsen went back to his station. 

Alma didn't seem very impressive, at first glance. There was a big building in front of the tram, and that was about it. The small group went through the single door, which led to a little room. Inside said room was only a single table, a few posters, and an Elsen. 

Upon seeing them, the Elsen jumped and scampered towards the inspectors. He shifted in place for a moment, looking nervously towards the one Elsen in their group. The inspector Elsen pointedly looked away, fiddling with his tie. 

The room Elsen shook his head a bit, dismissing the other. 

"I-I-I can't let you pass," he said, "unless you answer some questions." 

Yuudai looked to the Batter; he always seemed to know what needed to be known. He knew how the world worked, and he knew the password to the first elevator as well as the lift to Dedan's office, so the blonde figured that his partner could answer a few simple questions. 

"Alright," the Batter said with a slight shrug. 

"Oh, uh, s-swell! Let's see, uh..." The Elsen took a moment to gather his thoughts before asking his first question. "Okay, question o-o-one. The second came from Jerusalem and...?" He trailed off, as if that were sufficient enough to receive an answer. 

Even the Batter seemed perplexed, his usually cold eyes slightly widened. He looked at his feet, then up at the ceiling. The questioning Elsen waited patiently, all previous nervous set aside for now. 

"I'll be right back." The Batter walked away from him, choosing to inspect the three posters on the wall nearby. He studied them intensely, and Yuudai wondered if he was embarrassed for not knowing the answer. That was a bit of a surprising thought. 

"O-Oh, I know this! It's, uh, it's the third from Orta!" The inspector Elsen spoke up, loud enough to startle even the Batter for a moment. Yuudai looked to him in bewilderment. 

The questioning Elsen only nodded before moving on. 

"Question t-two. The Holy Trinity is made up of...?" 

"R-Roses!" The inspector Elsen yelled once again, and the questioner nodded just as before. 

"Question three. Notre-Dame first appeared on the...?" 

"Sixth!" 

"Question f-f-four. How many threes are there in June?" 

The inspector Elsen didn't seem to know this one. He fidgeted in place, looking from side to side. He puffed out his cheeks, almost seeming frustrated. 

"I...I don't know." 

"It's twenty-two," the Batter said, walking back to the group. The questioning Elsen nodded again. 

"Question f-five. Cyrille, Kevin, and...?" 

"Oh! Jonas!" The inspector Elsen piped, raising his hand to the air. The other nodded once more, not speaking for a while. The looked at the trio with mild interest, a tiny stream of smoke escaping his mouth for a moment. Then, after what felt like forever, he told them the results. 

"That...That is correct. E-E-Every answer was r-right." 

Yuudai let out a cheer, and the inspector Elsen smiled a bit. The Batter remained stoic. 

"But." The questioning Elsen spoke quietly, but he didn't fail to get their attention. "But. There is one m-more question. If you turn the month of March upside-down, what two-digit number can you read?" 

The group was silent for a while, but it didn't take long for the Batter to answer. 

"It's eighty-seven." 

The questioning Elsen was silent, smoke wafting from his orifices. His eyes were wide, his mouth agape. He rasped a bit, one hand slowly reaching up to grasp at his throat. 

"That's..." 

His head then exploded, smoke billowing thickly from his body. He became burnt quicker than the first they had encountered, giving almost no warning before it threw itself at the inspectors. 

The inspector Elsen screeched, then ran towards the table and hid under it. The other two had their weapons out in a flash, going in for the kill, one with less hesitance than the other. 

It only took a few seconds to defeat the burnt Elsen, but that was plenty of time to coat the walls in a thick black sludge. 

The duo sheathed their weapons. Yuudai's breath came out in short puffs, but the Batter's came out evenly; it seemed like the shock of watching an Elsen become burnt had worn off a few battles ago. Yuudai was still greatly bothered by the sight, as well as by the guilt that came with killing them. 

Their Elsen slowly crawled out from under the table, knees wobbly, breath thick and dark. He stumbled back over to his partners, looking only at the floor. 

"L-L-L-Let's move o-o-on, p-please." His voice shook just as much as his body. The other two inspectors walked through the door that the burnt Elsen had previously guarded. 

Yuudai was about to ask how the other two men had known the answers, but the words died on his lips as he saw what lay past the door. What he saw when they passed through made him feel sick. 

In front of them was a short path that led to a small clearing. Surrounding them was a pink liquid. One would think it were only more plastic, were it not for the stench. It smelled of iron and rot. The source was liquid meat. Some of it occasionally splashed up on the edge of the clearing, leaving faint stains of blood when it receded. 

Yuudai became dizzy, his stomach churning with both hunger and disgust. His body was telling him to eat it, all of it, but something else inside of him was chanting  _wrong_ _wrong_ _wrong_ _wrong_ _wrong_ _wrong_ _wrong_ _wrong_ _._ The smell surrounded him, and he felt like he was about to vomit. 

The other two inspectors didn't seem bothered in the least, only stepping ahead as if nothing was wrong at all. Yuudai shakily followed, having to lean on the Batter a bit to keep from doubling over. If the other noticed or was annoyed by this, he didn't say so. 

The trio only took a few steps before yet another Elsen walked briskly towards them. He was out of breath by the time he got there. 

"Who...Who are y-you...?" 

"We are here to see Dedan," said the Batter. 

"Oh...D-D-Dedan? Yes, of course..." The Elsen took a single deep breath, then straightened his posture. Yuudai could tell that a speech was coming. He put a hand on his stomach, hoping to quell his nerves. 

"You're here at the meat fountains of Alma, the center of the first zone. Here, meat flows freely, continually filling these immense metal pools you see before you." Yuudai looked around a bit, but at the protest of his gut, he scrunched his eyes shut. "Our work consists of pouring this meat into bottles before the fountains overflow. The meat is then immediately delivered to all the other zones, from zone one on. 

"As the first of four elements, meat is very important to the Elsen." Creepy conclusion, here we come. "Without meat, people would have nothing to eat. They would die of starvation, one after another." 

The chills that Yuudai felt may have been from the Elsen's words, but it may also have been the nausea that racked his body as he heaved. Not much came up besides a foul-tasting bile. Yuudai was left feeling empty, and he was disgusted by his growing hunger. 

The Elsen who gave the speech scrunched up his face a bit, but no other reaction was given. After a moment, though, he continued to speak. 

"M-M-Master Dedan has an office here, in the c-c-center of the f-fountains," he said. "But, uh, n-nobody has ever found it. Dedan, hhhhhe, he seems to o-o-only appear when he's needed." He clapped his hands together awkwardly. "Uhhhhh. Yeah. There." He rocked on his heels, hands behind his back, as if he didn't know what else to do. 

Everyone was quiet for a while, also at a loss of what to say. Only Yuudai's harsh breaths and the sloshing meat could be heard. The Elsen looked at the group for a long moment before speaking once again. 

"S-S-So, uh, who are y-you anyway?" 

"We are here to rid the world of malignance," the Batter replied. 

"Oh." The Elsen continued to rock on his heels, but now he seemed much more nervous. "Then, uh, c-c-could you maybe liberate me?" 

Before the Batter had a chance to respond, the Elsen's head left his body. He flailed around, his arms repeatedly bashing into all three inspectors. The Batter drew his weapon, slugging his opponent until it flailed no more. The burnt Elsen dissipated into a thin dark mist, just as those had before it. Yuudai vomited again. The inspector Elsen shook violently, and it was a wonder that he himself hadn't become burnt. 

The Batter didn't give either of his associates time to recover before he moved down the path, his strides long and powerful. Yuudai and the Elsen leaned on each other for support as they followed. 

The path was not long, and Yuudai was relieved to see another floating yellow cube near the end; maybe he would feel a bit better after attaining its healing properties. He hobbled over as fast as he could, practically throwing his body on top of it. His stomach immediately began to settle. He let out a sigh of relief. He was still hungry, and the smell of the place still greatly bothered him, but he didn't feel nearly as nauseous as he had before. 

When he was done, he looked around to see where they needed to go next. He noticed, though, that while the Elsen was still right by his side, the Batter was gone. He started to worry. How did he disappear so quickly? Did he leave them behind, or did something happen to him when they weren't looking? 

Soon after this thought passed his mind, however, Yuudai spotted the other man. He was conversing with someone who looked awfully familiar. 

Yuudai looked at the Elsen, then nodded his head over towards the men speaking nearby. They walked to the duo, but stayed a respectful distance today. After all, it would be rude to interrupt the business of exchanging money and goods. 

"Hello, dear Batter! I presume you are in good shape?" Zacharie looked to Yuudai then, as if only just noticing he was there. Then his curious gaze fell on their accompanying Elsen. "It seems your cohort is still with you. And you have a new friend as well!" He laughed, "The characters really  _are_ piling up, aren't they! How interesting." 

Zacharie then pulled out his backpack, opened it, and spread out some of its contents. He gestured to them with a flourish. 

"I could never complain about extra customers! More credits to go around!" 

The Batter inspected the merchant's wares, deciding on some new armor for Alpha, as well as a few more luck tickets. Yuudai couldn't help but feel a little bitter that the masked man had an outfit for a glowing ring, but not one shirt for a person. 

After the Batter bought what he wanted, Zacharie made to close up shop. The Elsen, however, stopped him. 

"W-W-Wait!" He said, "Would you hhhhhappen to have some, s-s-some clothes I could purchase? I-I'm, uh..." He looked down at himself. His clothes were spattered with the tar-like substance expelled by killed burnts. 

"Ah, yes, as a matter of fact!" Zacharie rummaged through his bag for a while, quickly pulling out a fresh dress shirt. That will be 80 credits, please!" 

The Elsen forked over his cash, gratefully taking hold of the shirt. 

"O-Oh, yes, th-th-th-thank you!" He looked around for a moment, then scampered off to go change somewhere. 

Yuudai turned towards the general direction he went in, still planning on giving him privacy, while also hoping to stay close so as not to lose him among his identical counterparts. 

"Wait, hold on a moment,  _mon_ _ami_ _!_ " Zacharie called him back over, one finger held up. After getting the blonde's attention, he started to dig around in his backpack. "You have credits as well! I may not have any proper armor for you, but I do have something you may need." 

Interest piqued, Yuudai stepped up to the merchant. Maybe he'd finally get a bat of his own? Then he could finally fight off the spectres on his own! 

His train of thought was derailed when Zacharie held out a small dagger. It was brand new, and looked as if it had been made that very day. 

"I'm not sure what sort of weapons you'd prefer, if you have any preference at all," Zacharie explained, "but I figured you'd need  _something_  if you plan on sticking with our friend Batter here!" The Batter sneered, as if offended. 

Yuudai was a little perplexed, as it seemed strange that Zacharie suddenly had this weapon among his wares. But, it seemed like it was a bit sharper than his own. It probably still could not harm spectres, but it would help him with pretty much anything else that decided to attack them. 

"How much do you want for it?" 

"Well, I had to pull quite a few strings to have this made." He had it custom-made? "So I think that 120 credits will be sufficient." 

That was way more expensive than the Batter's current weapon. Triple the price, in fact. 

"Can it do any damage to spectres?" 

"Not that I know of. But it  _is_ sharp! Sharp enough to pierce thick hide, I would say." Zacharie laughed, "Who knows, you may have a big battle ahead! I can tell you that any new enemies from here on out will be tougher than those you've faced so far. It's much better to be prepared." 

Even with a mask in the way, Yuudai could tell the other was grinning by the way his eyes crinkled. It was a bit creepy. 

It didn't take much more convincing for Yuudai to purchase the dagger. It was more expensive than a bat, but really it wasn't a lot of money. He had plenty to spend, anyway. 

Their Elsen returned not long after, once again thanking the masked merchant profusely for the new outfit. He looked clean and fresh, and probably felt much better. 

"Haha, you're quite welcome! I do hope to do business with you all again soon!" 

With that, Zacharie packed up his bag and slung it over his shoulders. He did not move from his spot, only standing tall in wait for his next customer. 

The inspectors turned back to the path. They did not have to travel far before coming upon their next obstacle. 

In front of them was a looming building. It was not as tall as the postal service, but it somehow seemed much more intimidating. The door was blocked off by a row of floating cubes, just as the lift had been. 

On either side of the building, there was another path. The group randomly picked to go towards the left. 

As they walked, Yuudai decided to talk to the Elsen. He wanted to clear something up. 

"So," he started, "do you have a name or anything? Something I can call you?" 

The Elsen jumped, not expecting to be spoken to. He processed the question for a moment, fiddling with his tie nervously. 

"W-W-Well, not really. W-We have identification n-n-numbers, though." He then proceeded to list off over a dozen different numbers, and Yuudai's brain felt like it was going to melt. It wasn't hard to remember, necessarily, but it was quite a mouthful. 

"I don't think I could handle calling you '1054799246792834' every time I wanted to talk to you." The Elsen looked at his feet, somewhat embarrassed. "What if we gave you a nickname? Something shorter?" 

The Elsen thought for a moment, then shrugged a shoulder noncommittally. 

"I mean, i-i-if you want to. If it will m-m-make things easier, that is. You, uh, y-y-you don't h-have to." 

"Well, we can't just call you 'Elsen', can we?" 

"I suppose not." 

Yuudai scratched at his face, looking up in thought. Was would be easy to remember, and not too long to be tiresome to say? 

"How do you feel about 'Jack?'" 

"J-J-J...J-Jack?" The Elsen stuttered, "Why J-Jack?" 

"It's shorter than that math problem you had before, isn't it?" Yuudai smiled. "If you don't like it, I can think of something else." 

"N-No, i-it's okay. It's, uh, it's fine. I don't d-d-dislike it." He continued to fidget with his tie, but he wasn't quite so nervous. Yuudai had one more thing to say before the conversation ended, though. 

Yuudai reached back and pulled out his old dagger, the one he had when he first came into the world. The Elsen shrieked, making the Batter look back at them for a moment. 

"I want you to have this," Yuudai said. When the Elsen only sputtered and shook, he explained, "I doubt you have anything on you. I thought you should have a way to defend yourself. It won't do anything to spectres, but this will keep you safe from pretty much everything else." 

Jack sputtered incoherently, unable to form a sentence. He wheezed, but gingerly reached out to grab the handle. He shakily put the blade through one of his belt loops, his bottom lip quivering. Yuudai felt bad for spooking him, but he wanted the other to be safer. Jack likely knew by now that their journey was a dangerous one, so Yuudai hoped he wouldn't be as scared with the dagger on him. 

In a few more minutes, the inspectors made it to the end of the path. It led to a small clearing, which was surrounded by more meat. The smell caught up to Yuudai, making him feel ill once again, but this time he kept his nausea in check. Meat wasn't the only thing he could smell, though. 

In the clearing was an Elsen, who was wheezing and rasping. Smoke poured out of him, creating a dark, acrid fog around him. He didn't seem to notice the trio for a moment, but once he did his head snapped towards them. He screeched loudly enough to make their ears ring, and he held himself tightly. 

"G-G-Go away! Let me work!" 

He then became burnt, tar bursting out of his head and onto the ground, as well as into the meat next to him. 

The Batter was the first to leap into action, making quick work of the burnt Elsen, reducing it to a crumpled mess in seconds. The sight was gruesome, but it soon became nothing more than a fine, smoky mist. 

Where the Elsen had stood before was a small pedestal, which only stood a few inches tall. On the pedestal was a picture, which resembled the silhouette of some sort of water fowl. 

The Batter stepped on the pedestal without hesitation. It turned out to be a button, and it sank down until it was level with the ground. 

As soon as the button clicked into place, something that appeared to be a giant duck materialized within the meat, right up against the clearing. Everyone jumped besides the Batter, who simply stepped onto the duck. He just sat there. It took a moment for Yuudai and Jack to realize they were meant to get on board as well. 

They all sat together in a divot on the duck. Everyone was squished against one another, and it was pretty uncomfortable. The Batter sat in front, his hands resting neatly on a pair of handles protruding from the duck's neck. His feet were placed on a pair of pedals, and as he moved them, the duck quacked and started to move. 

Yuudai asked the Batter where the duck came from, but it was Jack who responded. He informed the blonde that the duck was called a pedalo, and they were used to travel over bodies of various liquids. He didn't know where exactly they came from, though. 

The Batter steered them all towards the north, the meat below them squelching wetly as the pedalo pushed through. He looked around as they passed through, inspecting the walls and muttering to himself. Yuudai did notice that there were numbers along the walls beside them, and he decided to try to memorize them as well. He wondered if there was another code they would have to know later. 

The first numbers he saw were a white one and a black four. Then a few meters down there was a white two and a black nine. Next was a white three and a black eight. Then a white four and a black two. It didn't take long for Yuudai to realize that the white numbers were going in order, so he chose to memorize only the black ones. 

There were no more numbers, though, as the river of meat came out to a small pool, the edge of which came to another path to walk down. Boxes littered the ground, which was a little strange. 

The inspectors hopped off the pedalo. They came face-to-face with another scared Elsen, who burnt immediately upon seeing the trio. The Batter made swift work of it. 

Afterwards, they walked down the path, which led to yet another terrified Elsen. He became burnt as well, and Yuudai was actually growing exasperated. He couldn't prevent them from burning if they were going to explode before he could get a word in. 

They soon came to another pool of meat, above which floated ten cubes. Yuudai felt his stomach twist with dread as a thought came to mind: What were they blocking? Would they have to go  _into_ the meat? Surely they would all drown if they tried, if the stench didn't get to them first. 

His fears were quickly put to rest, though, as the Batter called up another pedalo. It appeared within the pool, and the Batter stepped onto it. He pedaled around in the pool, lightly tapping some of the blocks as he passed. Yuudai and Jack watched him, one with a look of confusion and the other in trepidation. 

The Batter went on like this for a few minutes before coming back to shore. He huffed and stormed down the path, muttering about not knowing the whole code. The other two men had to jog to catch up, but they all continued down the path. 

At the end of said path was yet another Elsen. This one also burnt at the sight of them, and the Batter set to work. At this point, it only took a couple blows to take it down. 

Another pedalo was called, and they moved down another river of meat. The walls here had numbers as well. There was a white six with a black five, a white five and a black six. 

Seconds after seeing the second set of numbers, the meat in front of them burst up, creating a wave that was at least three meters tall. The Batter tried to pedal backwards, but he couldn't prevent the wave from crashing over the three of them. It was a miracle that the pedalo didn't capsize. However, the inspectors were covered in the reddened flesh, and it pooled at their feet. 

Yuudai held his head over the side and hurled, only to have his face splashed with more meat. Out of the river, just in front of him, came a creature far larger than anything he had ever seen before. He fell back into the pedalo, coating his behind in gore. He paid it no mind, though, as two more creatures jumped up out of the meat. 

The waves sloshed over the edge of the pedalo, rocking it violently as it quacked and flapped its wings. Jack was screaming, smoke rising from his quivering frame. The Batter even seemed to panic a bit, fumbling for his bat and calling Alpha's name. 

Before them towered three large, gator-like monsters, each as tall as maybe ten people stacked atop one another. At least, that was what could be seen of them. Their gaping maws each held hundreds of needle-like fangs, and their beady eyes seemed to glimmer as they sized up their prey. 

One of the monsters lunged forwards somewhat sluggishly, mouth wide open to reveal just how many layers of teeth it held within. Its movement was stopped, however, by Alpha slicing straight through its lower jaw. It roared loudly, throwing its head back as its jaw fell into the river. 

The other two creatures attacked at once, and Yuudai reached clumsily for his dagger. He was surprised when he noticed that Jack had done the same, and was holding his shaky arm out defensively. 

The monsters descended on the pedalo, just in time for the Batter to jump up and swing his bat. He clocked one right in the face, and it fell to the side with thundering splash. It slowly sank, but the other monster maneuvered around it to get to the inspectors. 

Yuudai got to his feet, trying hard not to slip in the meat trapped within the floor of the pedalo. He was prepared to slash at the monster when it got too close, but was surprisingly beaten to it. 

With a terrified screech, Jack jumped right onto the monster, wrapping his arms around it in a death-grip. It roared and thrashed, swinging the poor Elsen from side to side. It did manage to throw him off, but not before he had dragged a long, bleeding wound across its face and neck. 

Jack managed to land on the still-sinking monster from before, and barely missed getting crushed by the one he had slain. Smoke poured out of his mouth as he screamed and yelled, face turning gray as if he were burning. 

The third monster, in the meantime, had recovered from its wound. It now only had half of its fangs with which to attack, but it clearly planned to make use of them. Now angered, it lunged once again at the pedalo. It got close, but was quickly stopped by a mighty swing of the Batter's weapon. It fell with a gurgle, causing one last wave to crash over the trio. 

The danger had passed, but Jack was still screaming. The monster he was sat upon was now almost entirely submerged, giving him only a few inches of room to move. Yuudai reached his hand out as far as he could, and Jack gratefully held on as he was dragged back into the pedalo. He was still terrified, but was starting to calm down as the adrenaline wore off. 

Yuudai was honestly awestruck. How is it that this Elsen seemed almost incapable of burning? He had even gone  _towards_ the danger. Was it because he worked among spectres and burnt Elsen in the past? Had he become used to fear, and learned to live despite it? Whatever the case, the blonde was grateful for it. It just might have saved them; the Batter was strong, but even he would have a hard time fighting three giant monsters at once. 

Now much more cautious, the trio moved along the river, alert to any sound or unexplained splashing. It didn't take much longer to reach the end which, like the other, brought them to a clearing. This one was much smaller, nothing on shore besides a few boxes and a chest, which was opened by the Batter. Yuudai couldn't help but bark out a laugh when he saw that what was inside was a hunk of flesh. They were surrounded in meat, why would anyone fill a chest with the stuff? 

There was also a path, but the Batter just went back up the river. 

"Why aren't we going that way?" Yuudai pointed to the path, not wanting to leave any area unchecked or unexplored. 

"That only leads back to where we started," the Batter replied. "Do you have something you would like to buy from the merchant?" 

Yuudai just shook his head, as he knew that the only thing he  _could_ buy were luck tickets, for the most part. He had plenty of those, and did not need more. 

The Batter pedaled them back towards the floating blocks, once again tapping them in a specific order. Nothing happened still, though, and he let out a frustrated groan. They went back down the river, towards the path left behind. They did encounter two more monsters on the way, but since they had lost the element of surprise, they were a bit easier to handle. The Batter did have a nasty bite on his left shoulder that would need healing, though. 

The men soon made it to where Zacharie stood, who paid no mind as they passed by. They all touched the healing block, any wounds they held cleaned before disappearing. It still amazed Yuudai that such a device could exist. But, he supposed, they would need to if the world was so dangerous. 

Right after, they boarded the pedalo yet again, this time heading south. There was a dead end, but there were also two more sets of numbers. White seven with a black nine, and a white eight followed by a black letter "C." 

They went back to the floating blocks hopefully for the last time. The Batter tapped them all in what must have been the correct order, as they heard a  _click_ when he was done. 

They floated back down the river yet again, this time with no enemies to deal with. They walked down the path, Yuudai and Jack touching the healing block one more time for good measure. 

The floating cubes in front of the building before them had vanished, leaving a wide open door for them to pass through. 

Inside were fountains of flesh dripping steadily down the walls, a gruesome parody of an indoor waterfall. It was rather damp and dark in the room, much like the mines. Instead of the smell of acrid smoke, however, was the stench of the bloody meat. It was bad enough out in the open, but within the small room it was stifling. Yuudai once again grew nauseous, but held down the bile rising in his throat. He was disgusted to find his hunger growing as well as his illness. 

His stomach growled, and he was starting to grow dizzy. The Batter had been inspecting the three doors in front of them, but he looked over towards the other man at the sound. The blonde looked as if he were about to keel over. 

"You're starved," he said simply. "You must eat something." 

"It's meat," Yuudai groaned, hoping that the explanation was good enough an excuse  _not_ to eat. He knew that the flesh could be eaten, but the thought of putting it anywhere near his mouth brought on another wave of nausea. 

"Y-Y-Yes, but it's all you h-h-have," said Jack, "If you don't g-g-get some food in y-you, you'll die." 

Yuudai knew that starvation wouldn't exactly be pleasant, but he hadn't stopped to think that maybe there was a reason for that. He was still very much against the idea, but he knew that if he wanted to stay alive, he'd have to deal with some foul flavors and smells. 

"We will take a break. I'm sure that he isn't the only one in need of sustenance." The Batter sat down in the middle of the room, pulling out some silver flesh for himself and taking a ravenous bite. It was not a tidy meal, and Yuudai grew even more reluctant. 

Jack reached a hand into a meat fountain, cupping his hands and bringing the crimson liquid to his lips. It was more of a drink than a meal, which somehow seemed a lot more eerie, especially with how unbothered the Elsen was. 

Maybe Yuudai was being ridiculous. He was obviously the only one who seemed to find something wrong with eating what was once alive. Nobody else had any issue with eating corpses. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He just had to stop thinking about it. 

With shaking hands, Yuudai reached into his pocket and pulled out his own chunk of flesh. Some battles ended with the stuff spawning in his pockets, as with the luck tickets and the credits, so he had plenty. The only reason he hadn't thrown it out was that he figured the Batter would chide him for being wasteful. 

Now, as he was holding it gingerly in front of his face, Yuudai was starting to wish he'd done it anyway. He hated how moist the silver meat was, making his hands sticky with a bloody film. It was disgusting. 

Wanting to get it over with, he took one ginormous bite. He nearly gagged, not only because of the size but also the taste. It was rather bland, tasting only slightly of metal. The texture was unpleasant at best, sliding down his throat like a nest of maggots almost before he could even chew it. Yuudai had to stop himself from hurling, as that would mean he would have to eat the flesh all over again, and it would be an even worse experience. 

It was difficult, but eventually he managed to stomach it and finish eating. The others had been done for a few minutes, but waited patiently for Yuudai. The Batter obviously thought his behavior was ridiculous, as he stood with his arms crossed and his head turned away. Jack just seemed a bit confused, but was much more understanding as he awkwardly ran a hand up and down Yuudai's back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. 

Yuudai was surprised by how much better he felt, though. He was somehow more energetic, and although the fountains of meat still smelled awful, it was easier to handle without his stomach making weird noises and curdling in his gut. He still hated the idea of eating meat in the future, but he decided it was better than starving, especially while surrounded in the stuff. 

Now back on track, Yuudai focused more on his surroundings. There were three doors in the room, excluding the one they entered from. There was a light breeze coming from each of them, more of the meaty stench carried along with it. 

The Batter had gone back to checking out the doors, trying to figure out which one to go to. Each of them led to a room so dark that nobody could see into it. Eventually the Batter just picked a random door, striding through it with confidence. 

Yuudai and Jack followed him, only to find the room to be empty. In fact, this room looked identical to the previous. The two inspectors peeked through each door, calling out the Batter's name. 

Figuring that he had continued onward, the two men picked a random door and walked through. However, this room was the same as the first, down to the cracks in the walls. 

Jack began to panic a bit, and Yuudai was anxious. What was this place? And what if there were spectres in here? The Batter was the only one who could fight them off. In other words, even with their daggers, the other two men were virtually defenseless. 

They continued to call out for the Batter, now with more intent, but there was no response. All was silent save the gurgling fountains of cascading meat. 

"We should stick together," Yuudai shakily said, controlling his breathing. He couldn't panic right now. For all he knew, this place was not dangerous at all. And, even if it was, it would do no good for him to have a meltdown. He could do this. "We'll find him again eventually. We just need to figure out which doors are the right ones." 

Jack scampered over to Yuudai's side, hands held up to his chin. The Elsen was obviously scared, but he remained calm. Together they examined each door, peering in and straining their ears. This place was clearly a labyrinth, and they needed to learn the way through before they were lost forever. 

Eventually, Yuudai figured out what the difference may be. It was only a guess, but he thought it was a good one. 

"I think the atmosphere behind this one is a bit louder," he whispered, "Like there are more fountains." 

"Uh, r-r-really? Why would that m-matter?" 

"I don't know, but it's the only difference I could find." 

With a sigh and a shaky nod, Jack followed Yuudai through the door. 

Where they ended up was exactly the same as the previous rooms. Yuudai barked out a laugh, not knowing whether this was a good sign or a bad one. Either way, this place was incredibly anxiety-inducing. 

"Okay, yeah. Let's keep trying, then." 

The two inspectors once again checked out each door, this time with more open ears. The door they came from seemed loudest, so that was where they went. 

A huffing sound could be heard coming from their left, and they turned to see a strange, horse-like creature. It almost looked to be made of wood, but its translucent paleness betrayed its true identity as a spectre. 

Immediately the inspectors ran, going through a random door. They couldn't fight the phantom, and in their panic they'd forgotten what type of place they were in. 

They had to shield their eyes as they went through, as they had somehow ended up outside. Yuudai was relieved until he realized they were right back where they started. Zacharie could be seen at his post, covering his mask with one large hand, shoulders shaking with barely-contained laughter. 

Yuudai waved him off, still trying to catch his breath. Jack was no better, wheezing and almost choking on his smoke. Zacharie dropped his hand, but the mirth could still be seen clearly in his eyes, even at the distance between him and the inspectors. He pointedly looked straight ahead, as if expecting customers. 

Yuudai didn't humor him, instead pulling Jack back into the labyrinth. They needed to find the Batter; Yuudai knew he wouldn't wait for his partners if he felt it would hinder his mission. They had to catch up before he moved too far. They just had to be more careful, as now it was known that there were indeed spectres here. 

Knowing to look for louder ambiance, it didn't take as long to find the correct doors. There was indeed one louder doorway in each room, which pretty much proved Yuudai's theory. 

They came across spectres along the way. Fortunately, though, these ones didn't seem aggressive unless the men got too close to them. Nonetheless, the inspectors kept a close eye on them when they were nearby. 

It took quite a while, but eventually they did manage to make it back outside. This place was entirely new, and it left both Jack and Yuudai feeling immensely relieved. 

In the area was only a chest and a floating red cube. They opened the chest first, finding within a playing card with the word "Joker" scribbled across one side. Yuudai held onto it, feeling like it was important. Jack watched him warily. 

Then they went to the cube, each tapping it lightly. Yuudai felt the same as he would after touching a yellow cube. That is, until a message played in his head:  _Return to the Nothingness?_  

He took several steps back, wincing as if struck. He wasn't sure where that came from or what it was, but the message filled him with dread. He knew that the Nothingness meant the dark place he came from, back when he first began to exist. He never wanted to go back. 

Looking to Jack, wondering if he heard the same thing, he saw that the Elsen only looked a bit surprised. Jack shook his head, though, as if to clear it, before rejoining Yuudai's side. 

Remembering why they were there, Yuudai looked around for the Batter. There was still no sign of him. He took a single shaky breath, then moved towards the large building that stood before them. 

Upon entering, the inspectors were met with an intimidating staircase. It reached up high, high enough that neither man could see the final step. Resigned to their task, they ascended. 

It took quite a while, but they made it to the top. Both men were winded, but they had to press on before they lost the Batter for good. 

In front of them was a single door, on either side of which was a cascade of meat. Unlike the fountains, though, these didn't seem man-made. The flesh was just dripping from the walls, oozing and pooling onto the floor. 

Yuudai and Jack shared a foreboding look, anticipating something horrible behind this door. Yuudai only hoped they'd be able to handle it. 

What they saw when they walked in shocked them both where they stood, holding them frozen. 

The Batter was there, standing over the guardian of this zone, Dedan. He had one foot on the other's chest, pinning him down. Dedan was bruised and bleeding, the viscous liquid leaking from his ghastly mouth, frothing with spittle as he yelled obscenities at the Batter. 

The Batter gave him a peculiar expression; a cruel grin pulled at his features, distorting his face until it was unrecognizable. In that moment, he looked like a monster. 

He raised his bat, teeth gnashing, and brought it down on the guardian's head, splitting it wide open and spraying him with brains and bone. 

Before Yuudai or Jack could even move, the room was filled with a bright, blindingly white light. Then, all was dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a whopper!
> 
> Things will now diverge from the plot of OFF.
> 
> We hope you enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> I've made a short animation for this story.
> 
> The video might lag, so sorry if that happens.
> 
> Some spoilers are ahead, so please only watch if that doesn't bother you.
> 
> http://www.sudomemo.net/watch/E01FA9_0F9C1519E8E33_019


End file.
